Living the Legends
by Sammiemoosam
Summary: Ardeth/OC. Ruth O'Connell is a 22 year old translator currently living in Cairo. She suddenly finds herself in the last place she ever wanted to be again with her brother, her best friend, and her best friend's brother. Hamunaptra. What happens when Ruth crosses swords with a mysterious Medjai Warrior? What does Imhotep want with Ruth? First in the Translated Egyptian Legends.
1. Chapter 1

Hello all! Welcome to my story based off the film, _The Mummy_. This story will be a revision of the movie. Every chapter will contain scenes from the movie and original scenes. There may even be a few original chapters (I hope) in order to make the story longer. This will be an Ardeth/OC pairing story.

My OC is Ruth O'Connell. She is 22 years old and works as a translator. She is currently living in Cairo and her best friend is Evelyn "Evie" Carnahan. She is a short girl with long, thick black hair. She has amber eyes with a black rim and she has an olive skin tone. Her hair is always kept up and most of the time, it is tucked into a bandana. She carries multiple weapons. Most of the time, she has two swords across her back, a belt with two guns and four daggers, two thigh holsters with two more guns and four knives down her boots. She also has an extra gun down the back of her pants and keeps a fine dagger in her hair. She sometimes has a shotgun with her.

_"italics" _is communication in another language.

~)8(~ is a scene break.

This story will be told from Ruth's point of view and I won't change it unless I feel the great need to. There will be very few (if any) POV changes in this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Mummy.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Family and Friends Connect**

_1926 _

I, 22 year old Ruth O'Connell, was walking through the streets of Cairo, Egypt. I was on my way to visit the Museum of Antiquities. That was where my best friend, Evelyn Carnahan, worked. Once I was there, I immediately ran into Dr. Terence Bey.

"Hello, Dr. Bey," I greeted.

"Ah, Miss O'Connell," the Egyptian man greeted with a smile. Then he frowned. "You know how I feel about weapons in my museum." I sighed.

"I'll leave them in your office," I said.

"All of them, Ruth." I nodded and made my way towards his office. I shed my weapons and went towards the library. I knew Evie would be there. However, I walked in on Dr. Bey telling Evie to clean up the library, rather loudly at that. Dr. Bey stalked out of the room and Evie was left standing there rather sheepishly. I sighed, guessing what must've happened. She must've accidentally knocked over a bookshelf; causing a chain reaction and making the rest of them go down as well.

"I'll help," I said coming up to the woman. Evie looked startled at my being there, and also a little embarrassed, but I gave her a reassuring smile. Evie returned it and straightened up her long, curly dark brown hair which was currently pulled back. Evie pocketed her glasses and was about to say something when there was a clang from a nearby room. Evie and I walked into a nearby exhibition room. Both of us were sure this was where the noise had come from. I scowled at the dimly lit room. As much as I loved museums, I hated it when they barely lit rooms.

"Hello!" Evie called into the room. I reached over and grabbed one of the torches before following my friend into the room. "Abdul? Mohammad? Bob?" Evie asked. I ignored her and had the sneaking suspicion someone was pulling a prank. Evie and I walked over to a sarcophagus and looked inside, only to have the body jump up at us. Both of us shrieked, but the fear turned to anger when we saw Jonathan, Evie's older brother, inside the sarcophagus as well.

"Have you no respect for the dead?" Evie scolded as Jonathan laughed.

"Of course I do. But sometimes, I'd rather like to join them," Jonathan said. His voice was laced with a British accent, just like his sister's. But I, despite living in England and Egypt on and off, retained a purely American accent.

"Well, I wish you would do it sooner rather than later before you ruin my career the way you've ruined yours. Now get out!" Evie smacked her brother and he frowned.

"Oh, my dear, sweet baby sister. I'll have you know, that at this precise moment my career is on a high note." I rolled her eyes. I seriously doubted that. Throughout the two years I had known Jonathan and his sister, his career had never been on a high note. "Oh, hello Ruth."

"Hello, Jonathan. Goofing off, I see. As usual." I was giving him a hard time and he knew it. Despite his laziness and tendency to steal things, I was fond of him. He was a friend.

"I'm really not in the mood for you," Evie told him. "I've just made a bit of a mess in the library and the Bembridge Scholars have rejected my application form again. They say I don't have enough experience in the field." I gave Evie a reassuring pat on the shoulder. She just needed to be patient. They would be begging her to do something for them as soon as the realized how intelligent she was.

"You always have me, old mum," Jonathan said kneeling before her. He grabbed her hands and she smiled. I suddenly felt sad, remembering how I used to be that close with my brother. "Besides, I've just the thing to cheer you up."

"Oh no, Jonathan. Not another worthless trinket. If I have to take one more piece of junk to the curator to try and… sell for you…" Evie trailed off as she saw the thing in Jonathan's hand. It was a small, octagonal box. My eyes widened as I recognized it. I snatched it from Jonathan's hand before Evie could.

"Where did you get this?" I breathed.

"On a dig in, uh… Thebes." I immediately knew Jonathan was lying. The way he had to think about where the dig was told me of that. But, I didn't say anything. Evie had had enough humiliation and disappointment for one day. I immediately turned the trinket in my hands, looking for the button.

"My whole life I've never found anything," Jonathan started. "Please tell me I found something." I found the button and pressed it, opening the top of the box. Inside, was the map.

"Jonathan… I think you found something," Evie breathed. I sighed silently. Oh, Evie, if only. Evie opened the map and once she found out what it was, she insisted we take it to Dr. Bey. While in his office, I sat back, listening to the Carnahan's and Dr. Bey as they spoke.

"You see the cartouche, there? It's the official royal seal of Seti I I'm sure of it," Evie said to Dr. Bey.

"Perhaps," he replied. He was skeptical.

"Two questions," Jonathan started. "Who the hell was Seti I and was he rich?"

"He was the second pharaoh of the 19th Dynasty. Said to be the wealthiest pharaoh of them all," Evie told him.

"Good. That's good." I rolled my eyes. Money was always on Jonathan's mind. "I like this fellow. I like him very much."

"I've already dated the map. It's almost three thousand years old," Evie continued telling Dr. Bey. "And if you look at the hieratic just here… well, it's Hamunaptra." I closed my eyes, really hoping Evie wouldn't figure that out. Then again, Evie was smart… very smart. There was only a slim chance she _wouldn't_ figure it out.

"Dear, God. Don't be ridiculous," Dr. Bey scoffed. "We're scholars, not treasure hunters. That's Miss O'Connell's job. Hamunaptra's a myth told by ancient Arab storytellers to amuse Greek and Roman tourists."

"Yes, yes, I know all the blather about the city being protected by the curse of a mummy nonsense, but my research has led me to believe that the city itself may have actually existed."

"Are we talking about _the _Hamunaptra?" Jonathan asked.

"Yes. The City of the Dead," Evie said. There was an excited note in her voice and I knew what she was thinking. Now she wanted to go out searching for the city and get experience in the field. "Where the earliest pharaohs were said to have hidden the wealth of Egypt."

"Yes, yes, in a big underground treasure chamber," Jonathan said. I noticed Dr. Bey holding up the map… a little too closely to the flame of the candle on his desk. I subtly nodded at him, telling him to burn it.

"Heh," Dr. Bey scoffed.

"Oh, come on! Everyone knows the story," Jonathan said. "The entire necropolis was rigged to sink into the sand on Pharaoh's command. The place would disappear beneath the sand dunes, taking the treasure with it."

"As the Americans would say, it's all fairy tales and hokum-Oh, my goodness! Look at that!" Dr. Bey cried. He dropped the map and Evie and Jonathan rushed forward. The quickly patted out the fire, but the damage had been done.

"You've burnt it!" Jonathan cried. "You've burnt off the part with the lost city!"

"It's for the best, I'm sure," Dr. Bey replied, not sounding at all upset. "Many men have wasted their lives in the foolish pursuit of Hamunaptra. No one's ever found it. Most… have never returned. I gave him one more nod before standing up.

"Well, I think we've taken up enough of Dr. Bey's time. Come on, Evie, Jonathan." I grabbed both of their arms and my weapons before dragging them outside the museum. "All right, Jonathan. Spill."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Ruth," he said innocently. I merely rolled my eyes.

"Bull. I know that trinket. I was there when a man I know very well found it. Now, did you steal it?" Jonathan didn't answer and Evie's jaw dropped.

"Jonathan!" she shrieked.

"Evie, go get your things. We're going on a little field trip," I said. She nodded, gave her brother one last glower and went back inside the museum. "You are going to take us to where this man is, you hear me, Jonathan Carnahan?" He gulped and nodded. I began strapping on my weapons as we waited for Evy. I put my twin swords across my back and strapped on my belt. It had four daggers on it and two 9 millimeters and two extra cartridges. I kept two more knives in my boots and a very small dagger in my hair. I had one more revolver stuffed down the back of my pants and it was hidden by the thick belt I wore.

"Do you really need so many weapons?" Jonathan asked me. I gave him a look.

"You know, if you started going on actual digs, you'd start carrying a few weapons as well." A few seconds later, Evie joined us, her hat on and things in hand. Jonathan then started leading us to wherever we were going.

~)8(~

"Come, come. Step over the threshold. Welcome to Cairo Prison, my humble home," the warden said as we stepped into the prison. I told him who we were visiting and followed him. Jonathan and Evie were a little bit behind us.

"You told me that you got in on a dig down in Thebes," Evie said.

"Well, I was mistaken," Jonathan replied.

"You lied to me." It wasn't a question. It was an accusation.

"I lie to everybody. What makes you so special?"

"I am your sister."

"Yeah, well that just makes you more gullible."

"Jonathan, you stole it off a drunk at a local casbah!"

"Picked his pocket, actually," Jonathan corrected.

"So, why is this man in prison?" I asked, getting the siblings' attention.

"This I do not know," the warden replied. "But when I heard that you were coming I asked him that myself. He said he was just looking for a good time." A few seconds later, the door to the visitor's cell opened and the man Jonathan had robbed was thrown in. His hair was scraggly and long. He was unshaven and dirty. I sighed and shook my head at him.

"This is… this is the man that you stole it from?" Evie whispered to Jonathan.

"Yes, exactly, so why don't we just go sniff out a spot of tiffin-"

"Who are you?" O'Connell asked. "And who's the broad?" He was looking at Evie.

"Broad?" she asked.

"I-I'm just a local missionary chap, spreading the good word," Jonathan lied. "But this is my sister, Evie and her friend, Ruth."

"How do you do?" Evie greeted before O'Connell could see I was there.

"Oh, well. I guess she's not a total loss," O'Connell said.

"I beg your pardon," Evie started. Then, there was a racket being made somewhere else in the prison. Warden Hassan excused himself and we turned back to O'Connell. Jonathan whispered something to his sister and she addressed him.

"Um, we have found… Uh, hello, excuse me." O'Connell looked back at her. "We've found your puzzle box, and we've come to ask you about it."

"No," O'Connell immediately said.

"No?"

"No. You came to ask me about Hamunaptra."

"H-how do you know the box pertains to Hamunaptra?" Evie asked.

"Because that's where he was when he found it," I spoke up.

_1923_

_Three Years Earlier_

Rick O'Connell and I took our rifles and loaded them. There was an army headed for us. The two of us were currently in the lost city of Hamunaptra, City of the Dead. Our whole garrison truly believed in it and we went to go explore. However, we didn't count on being fought for it. I was known to everyone as Two (the second O'Connell). Everyone believed I was a man. No women were allowed to join the French Foreign Legion. I was third in command (even though I was only 19), O'Connell second, and then our commanding officer.

Currently, O'Connell and I were getting ready for the battle bound to happen when we heard hooves coming from… behind us. We turned, along with our Hungarian friend Beni Gabor, and saw the Colonel retreating on his horse. He was abandoning us. O'Connell, Beni, and I exchanged looks.

"You two just got promoted," Beni said. O'Connell and I exchanged looks before facing forward again.

"Prenez vos positions!" O'Connell called out in French. Everyone obeyed and took their positions. I made sure all my other weapons were secure on my body before facing Beni.

"You're with us on this one, right?" I hissed to him. He was one of the few that knew I was actually a woman, and that only made him more afraid of me. O'Connell continued calling out orders.

"Oh, your strength gives me strength," Beni replied.

"Steady!" O'Connell yelled. A few seconds later, I sighed in exasperation as Beni turned and ran towards where the Colonel went. He was also abandoning us. I shared a shake of the head with O'Connell before turning forward.

"Steady!" The warriors were getting closer and closer. "Fire!" There was a long string of gunfire and the first row of warriors went down. I quickly reloaded and fired again, making sure to hit the man, not the horse. God, I really did have a soft spot for animals… well, except for camels. Countless more shots were fired, but pretty soon, I found myself standing and backing up along with everyone else in the Legion. I saw a warrior come towards me and quickly shot him. He fell limp and slid off the brown horse. I quickly mounted it and drew my swords. I always preferred them over guns. I slew men as I rode, but I knew we were losing. Soon, it seemed like everyone but I was lying dead in the sand. Then, I saw several warriors gallop off in a direction, like they were chasing someone. I quickly followed them and saw O'Connell. He was running, but soon he got trapped in between the horses and a statue. I didn't think, I just jumped in front of the warriors as they raised their guns at me at O'Connell. Both of us got ready to feel our lives end when there was the sound of scrambling and yells. We shared puzzled looks when we saw the warriors had retreated. Then, I saw the statue. It was the god, Anubis, and he seemed to be whispering. Both of us seemed to hear it and I struggled to keep my uneasy horse calm. O'Connell and I scrambled back a bit, only to be hit with sand.

"Whoa!" O'Connell cried. He jumped out of the way of the sand. It was weird, it was like something underground had pulled up the sand and flung it at us. My horse reared and threw me off. I landed in the sand with an "oomph" and heaved myself up, but not before another wave of sand hit me. I felt someone take my hand, O'Connell, and we raced off together, not noticing the sand creating the shape of a face.

"Come on, Ruth!" O'Connell yelled. I nearly rolled my eyes. I may have been just as fit as him, but I was a woman, and a short one at that. I could not run as fast as him, no matter how hard I tried. But, I did pick up my pace. O'Connell and I ran like our lives depended on it, and truthfully, both of us believed they did. Neither of us stopped until Hamunaptra was half a mile away. We stopped and leaned over to catch our breaths under the scorching Sahara sun.

"How the hell do you keep that thing on?" I heard. I looked at O'Connell and saw he was referring to my bandana. It was what I used to keep my hair hidden.

"I don't know," I admitted. "What do you have left?"

"Bullets," O'Connell answered. "All my guns and knives are gone."

"My swords are gone," I replied. "I've got two of my knives left and one 9mm. I've got a canteen of water, but no food." O'Connell nodded and stood to his full height. "Rick." He looked at me in confusion before following my gaze. On top of a ridge were about a dozen men on horses. They were watching us. But despite them, O'Connell and I turned and began the long journey back to civilization.

~)8(~

The three of them looked at me, all of them with surprise on their faces. I couldn't help but smile as I looked back at O'Connell. I kneeled down before him and took his hands.

"Hey, Rick," I whispered.

"Ruthie," he breathed. He turned his hands over and grasped mine.

"Oh, you know I hate that nickname," I laughed. O'Connell smiled slightly and leaned forward, kissing my forehead. "You look like hell."

"You're beautiful as ever," he said. I smiled.

"Thanks."

"You say he was at Hamunaptra," Jonathan spoke up, interrupting our reunion. "But how do we know that's not a load of pig's wallow?" He leaned down closer to us.

"I was there," I said.

"Do I know you?" O'Connell asked him.

"No, no. I've just got one of those faces," Jonathan tried. Unfortunately, O'Connell remembered him and punched him in the face, sending Jonathan backwards, passed out. The guards hit his back and O'Connell winced in pain. I giggled at Jonathan and Evie stepped over him.

"You were actually at Hamunaptra?" Evie asked. "The both of you?"

"Yeah, I was there," O'Connell replied. I saw the smirk on his face and stepped back.

"You swear?" Evie asked.

"Every damn day."

"I didn't mean that-"

"I know. I was there. Seti's place. City of the Dead." O'Connell took on a creepy voice and became all dramatic with that last part.

"Could you tell me how to get there?" Evie asked. There was commotion behind us and she took off her hat and lowered her voice even more. "I mean, the exact location."

"You want to know?" O'Connell asked her.

"W-well, yes."

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes." Evie leaned in closer and when she was close enough, O'Connell grabbed her chin and kissed her… hard.

"Then get me the hell out of here," he hissed. O'Connell stood up and began beating up the guards. "Do it lady!" He was soon overpowered and dragged back inside the prison.

"Where are they taking him?" Evie asked Warden Hassan, a blush on her face from the kiss.

"To be hanged," he answered. My eyes widened.

"No! Rick!" I yelled. "Get me in there!" Hassan looked frightened at the intensity of my demand and nodded. He led me and Evie into the building and we took our seats.

"I will give you 100 pounds to save this man's life," Evie tried as they prepared O'Connell.

"Madame, I could pay 100 pounds just to see him hanged," Hassan said.

"2-200 pounds."

"Proceed.

"300 pounds!" They tied the noose around Rick's neck and I stood up. The executioner told Hassan what O'Connell's last request was. It was to loosen the knot and let him go. Hassan refused and the hanging continued.

"500 pounds," Evie tried again. Hassan paused the hanging and looked at her.

"And what else?" He began to caress Evie's thigh. "I'm a very lonely man." Evie slapped his hand away with her book and Hassan gave the order.

"No!" Evie and I screamed as Rick fell. The rope tightened and I sighed with relief when his neck didn't break.

"Ha ha!" Hassan yelled. "His neck did not break. "Oh, I'm so sorry. Now we must watch him strangle to death."

"He knows how to find Hamunaptra," I said. Hassan and Evie looked towards me like I was nuts. I knew it wasn't the best move, but it was the only thing left that could possibly save O'Connell's life.

"You lie," Hassan accused.

"I know the way also. But unless you let this man go, I won't breathe a word."

"Are you telling me this filthy, godless son of a pig knows where to find the City of the Dead? And you do too?" Hassan asked. I nodded. "Truly?"

"Yes," Evie confirmed. "And if you cut him down we will give you… 10%."

"50%," Hassan haggled.

"20."

"40."

"30."

"25."

"Ha! Deal!" Evie said. Hassan sighed, realizing he had been tricked, but kept his end of the deal. O'Connell was cut down and I immediately started making my way down to him. Within a few minutes, I was at the bottom level of the prison. O'Connell saw me and his eyes lit up. I leapt into his arms and hugged him. He returned it and he set me down. Then, I smacked him.

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" I scolded. "God, you're stupid." O'Connell raised his eyebrows, amused. "Don't ever do that to me again!"

"All right, Ruthie. I'm alive. You can calm down."

"Two and a half years, Rick," I said referring to how long it had been since we'd last seen each other. "Let's never go that long again."

"Agreed," O'Connell said. Then, he smiled. "So, how's my baby sister doing?"

* * *

Hey! Here's a new story I'm suddenly springing on you all! Anyway, I hope you all like it. I'm honestly not very sure about this story because Ardeth is hard to write into fluff scenes but I'm just going to give it a go! If it fails... oh well.

Just a reminder for those of you who have read my Doctor Who story... If we get to 20 reviews on "New Feelings", I will give you all a sneak peak. I currently have a poll posted on my profile. Please vote for which story you want a preview of, or I will pick for you.

Cheers!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Hamunaptra... Again. **

_Giza Port, Cairo_

Jonathan, Evie, and I were walking through the Giza Port, packed and ready for the adventure to Hamunaptra. I had my swords across my back, my belt with four daggers and two guns on, and my extra gun stuffed down the back of my pants and two extra knives down my boots. I had my shotgun, two extra handguns, four more knives, and ammo in my large rucksack. I also had three extra sets of clothing, a cloak, an extra pair of boots, rope, tools, and my journal in my pack. Tied beneath it were two rolled up blankets. I also had a canteen and some rations. My hair was tied up (as usual) and hidden by a black bandana and I was in my normal black boots, pants, and loose shirt. Through all of my adventures, I had learned to pack light. The Carnahans were a different story. She and Jonathan had two large suitcases with them.

"Do you really think he's going to show up?" she asked about O'Connell. I rolled my eyes. I had assured her many times that my brother would show up. She still wasn't convinced. I had told her and Jonathan about the first time Rick and I were at Hamunaptra.

"Yes, undoubtedly, knowing my luck," Jonathan said. "He may be a cowboy, but I know his breed. His word is his word. Same as Ruth."

"Well, personally, I think he's filthy, rude, a complete scoundrel. I don't like him one bit," Evie said.

"Anyone I know?" The three of us turned and saw O'Connell standing there, an amused look on his face. I snickered and hugged him. He was clean, shaven, and he had gotten a haircut.

"Oh. Um, hello," Evie breathed. I looked at her face and bit back another laugh. She certainly thought he was attractive. Then again, I could tell my brother liked her as well.

"Smashing day for the start of an adventure, eh, O'Connell?" Jonathan said. O'Connell smiled nervously and the two men shook hands. Then, O'Connell reached into his pocket and made sure his wallet was still there. "Oh, no, no. I'd never steal from a partner… partner."

"That reminds me. No hard feelings about the, uh…" O'Connell mimicked a punch.

"Oh, no, no. Happens all the time," Jonathan said. It sure did.

"Mr. O'Connell," Evie started. "Can you look me in the eye and guarantee this isn't some sort of flimflam? Because if it is, I am warning you-"

"You're warning me?" O'Connell asked, amused. "Lady, let me put it this way. Our whole damn garrison believed in this so much, that without orders we marched halfway across Libya and into Egypt to find that city. And when we got there, all we found was sand and blood." Evie looked shaken at the seriousness on his face. "Let me get your bags." O'Connell grabbed the Carnahan's bags and walked up onto the boat, Evie watching him go.

"Yes, yes, you're right. Filthy, rude, a complete scoundrel. Nothing to like there at all," Jonathan said before following O'Connell onto the boat.

"Look, Evie." The woman looked at me. "I know you don't trust him, but trust me. This isn't some kind of trick." Evie smiled slightly.

"I still can't believe the two of you are siblings," she said with a small laugh.

"What? Why not?" I asked.

"You two don't look anything alike. Although, now that I think about it, you two seem to be the male and female version of the same person." It was true. O'Connell and I had similar personalities. Both of us came across as rugged, strong, and smart. Although, where Rick was wittier, I was more book-smart. I knew 10 languages, including Ancient Egyptian. Rick was better at thinking on his feet. I was better at solving riddles and reciting history. However, it was true that we looked nothing like one another.

O'Connell stood at a towering 6'3" while I barely reached 5'0". His hair was brown and he had blue eyes. I had thick black hair and dark amber eyes with a black ring around the rim of the iris. O'Connell wasn't pale, but I was much tanner than him. I had a rather olive skin tone. And while O'Connell was a pretty big guy, I was rather skinny. I was sometimes mistaken for a young man.

"Yeah, well, I guess that's true," I said. Evie and I laughed before she abruptly stopped.

"Oh, no, what are you doing here?" she demanded. I followed her gaze and saw Warden Hassan walking towards us.

"I'm here to protect my investment, thank you very much," he merely said. He was wearing travel clothes and had a pack in his hand. He walked up the gangplank onto the boat. Evie and I exchanged looks. We had not been planning on Hassan being here. However, the two of us merely followed him onto the boat and went into the cabin we would be sharing.

~)8(~

That night, I was sitting at a table, writing things in my journal while Evie was reading. I tried to ignore the camels behind us, but Evie must've noticed something was wrong.

"Are you okay?" she asked. I merely pointed behind me. "Oh, right. I forgot."

"Ever since I was 10 and almost got trampled by a herd of those things, I have not been a fan of camels," I quickly said. "I'm going to find Rick." Evie nodded and I grabbed my journal before walking towards the front of the boat. I found Jonathan sitting at a table with four other men.

"Ruth!" Jonathan called. He waved me over and I had no choice but to go over there. When I got there, I saw them playing poker. "Ruth, this is Burns, Henderson, and Daniels. And that's Dr. Chamberlain." I shook hands with all of the men except Dr. Chamberlain. He seemed rather focused on his hookah and book.

"Gentlemen," I greeted.

"Would you like to join us, Ruth?" Jonathan asked.

"I only gamble with my life. Never my money," I said. The men merely nodded and returned back to their game.

"Quit playing with your glasses and cut the deck, would you, Burns?" Daniels complained. Burns merely continued cleaning his glasses as he addressed Daniels.

"Without my glasses, I can't see the deck to cut it, can I, Dave," Burns replied.

"O'Connell," Jonathan said. I turned and saw him standing there. "Sit down. We could use another player."

"No, I only gamble with my life, never my money," O'Connell said. I smirked, having said the exact same thing.

"Never?" Daniels asked. "Well, what if I was to bet the two of you $500 we get to Hamunaptra before you?" My eyes widened.

"You're looking for Hamunaptra?" O'Connell asked.

"Damn straight, we are." Henderson said.

"And who said we are?" O'Connell asked.

"He does." All three Americans said this at the same time with matching fingers pointing towards Jonathan. O'Connell and I fixed him with matching looks.

"Well-" Jonathan tried.

"Well, how about it?" Daniels asked. "Is it a bet?" O'Connell and I exchanged looks.

"You're on," I said. All three Americans smiled.

"What makes you so confident, miss, sir?" Dr. Chamberlain asked.

"What makes you?" O'Connell shot back.

"Well, we got us a man who's actually been there," Henderson said with a smirk.

"Oh, what a coincidence, because-" Jonathan stopped talking when he saw the glare I was sending him.

"Gentlemen, we got us a wager," O'Connell said. "Good evening, Jonathan," O'Connell squeezed his shoulder… hard, and I shot him one last look before the two of us walked off. I went back towards the cabin I shared with Evie while Rick went to talk to the woman herself. I took my rucksack and opened it. I grabbed my extra weapons and began sorting them. I loaded the shotgun shells into the strap I used for my swords (It had slots for shotgun shells). When I was done, I stuffed two more knives down my boots before strapping the other two to the back of my belt. I strapped my last two handguns to my thighs. I was so engrossed in my work I didn't notice Evie come in and change for bed. When I did notice, it was because she shrieked. There was a man in front of her, threatening her with a… hook? Yes, it was a hook. I immediately took one of my guns and cocked it at the man.

"Release her," I demanded. He froze and turned around.

"Where is the key?" he demanded. He didn't seem to be perturbed by the gun in my hand.

"The key, the key… What key?" Evie asked. Neither of us had any idea what he was talking about.

"Ruth! Evelyn!" I heard. O'Connell bust through the door, two of his guns drawn. The hook man immediately moved away, O'Connell and me shooting at him. Another man opened the window of the cabin and I quickly shot him. Evelyn, O'Connell, and I made it out of the room, still shooting.

"The map! The map! I forgot the map!" Evie cried.

"Relax. We're the map. It's all up here," O'Connell told her referring to our heads while stopping her from going back into the cabin. It was aflame now. O'Connell had hit the lantern.

"Oh, that's comforting," I heard Evie said. I laughed and shouldered my pack (which I managed to grab). I holstered my gun and made sure my shotgun was loaded before splitting off from the two of them. Everyone around the ship was panicking, except the Americans. They seemed to be having a blast, especially Henderson. I watched as people began jumping overboard and the men who had attacked us began setting fire to the ship. Horses were neighing and escaping from their stalls. They jumped into the water as well. I turned to continue fighting when a horse ran into me and sent me overboard with it. The animal immediately panicked, and seeing there was no way to get back on the ship and help, I helped it across the Nile. The two of us made it across and within seconds, Evie, O'Connell, Jonathan, and Hassan were joining us. It had taken about five minutes for the horse and I to get across the river. My fear of rivers hadn't exactly been helping.

"We've lost everything! All of our tools, all the equipment. All my clothes," Evie cried

"O'Connell!" I heard someone yell. I knew that voice. It was Beni. "Hey! O'Connell! It looks to me like I've got all the horses!" Well, all except the one I had.

"Hey Beni! It looked to me like you're on the wrong side of the river!" O'Connell yelled back. I saw Beni kick the water in frustration when he realized that he was, in fact, on the wrong side of the Nile.

"I cannot believe that little weasel survived," I growled. O'Connell nodded in agreement and then turned to face me.

"Are you okay? I know how you feel about rivers, especially this one." I nodded, telling him I was okay. When I was 15, I had almost drowned in this river.

"Well, we've got the horse here, but we're going to need some more or some camels if we want to get to Hamunaptra," I said. O'Connell nodded and the five of us began walking away.

~)8(~

The next morning, I was getting the horse, Nile, ready for the journey to Hamunaptra. Evie had been taken to get some new clothing. Jonathan and O'Connell were haggling for some camels and I had no idea where Hassan was. I had left my stuff dry out this morning and bought some more ammo. I loaded my rucksack onto the back of Nile's saddle before making sure it was secure. I took off some of my weapons, leaving on my swords and belt, and managed to fit them in the saddle bags as there was already some gear in them. I strapped my shotgun to Nile before leading him over to Jonathan and O'Connell. They had gotten the camels and Evie was approaching us. She was in a new black gown, hood, and veil. She looked stunning… as usual… and I smirked upon seeing my brother staring at her. He was definitely smitten with her. Just as she was smitten with him. We found Hassan before mounting our animals and starting the journey.

The journey was long and lasted through the night. I rode in the back of our single file line while O'Connell was in the front. I remained silent through the journey, only readjusting my bandana once. I was constantly checking my weapons though. I was always making sure the four knives were still in my boots, the swords were across my back, and the four daggers and two guns were still at my belt. Soon, sooner than expected, night fell. Evie, Jonathan, and Hassan fell asleep while O'Connell and I stayed awake. O'Connell had his headdress on and I had on my cloak. At one point, Hassan was snoring so loudly he seemed to wake himself up. I heard a horse, one that was not Nile, and looked up.

"Rick," I said. He followed my gaze. Once again, there were men on horses watching us from a ridge. I exchanged a look with my brother, but we said nothing and continued on. Soon, it was dawn and we arrived at Hamunaptra's location. Beni, the Americans, Dr. Chamberlain, and their diggers were already there.

"Good morning, my friends," Beni greeted.

"Piss off," I spat.

"Oh, but Two, my friend. I-"

"Shut up, Beni. I don't care. Just give me one reason I shouldn't shoot you right here," I said.

"Ruth," I heard O'Connell sigh. I hesitated, but put away my gun.

"Man, what the hell are we doing?" Daniels asked.

"Patience, my good, barat'm. Patience," Beni said.

"Remember our bet, O'Connell, Ruth. First one to the city, 500 cash bucks," Henderson reminded us.

"A hundred of them bucks is yours if you help us win that bet," Daniels told Beni.

"Oh, my pleasure," he replied. "Hey, O'Connell. Nice camel." Beni flashed my brother a nasty smile, but O'Connell merely patted his camel on the head.

"Get ready for it," O'Connell spoke.

"For what?" Evie asked.

"We're about to be shown the way," I answered. The sun became visible on the horizon and Hamunaptra appeared like a mirage. Soon, it was fully visible. Everyone but O'Connell, Beni, and I gave gasps of amazement. Once Hamunaptra was fully visible, the race began. O'Connell and Beni were in the lead, Evie and I not far behind them. Beni began hitting O'Connell with his stick, but O'Connell soon pulled Beni off his camel. Nile leaped over him, but still stepped on his hand.

"Sorry, didn't see you there!" I called.

"Serves you right," Evie said as she passed him. Evie and I caught up to O'Connell and soon pulled ahead of him. Both our brothers were cheering us on behind us, and soon, we made it to the lost city of Hamunaptra.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Mummies and Medjai**

_Hamunaptra_

O'Connell, Evie, Jonathan, Hassan, and I were getting ready to enter the city. Evy was fixing up an old mirror, trying to catch the sun with it. I was helping Rick with the ropes and Hassan and Jonathan were doing nothing. The Americans and their crew were across the city, planning to dig in another spot. I couldn't help but smirk looking at them. Thank God we knew things they didn't.

"That's the statue of Anubis," Evie began to explain. "Its legs go deep underground. According to Bembridge Scholars, that's where we'll find a secret compartment containing the golden book of Amun-Ra. Jonathan, you're meant to catch the sun with that." I sighed at him and went to go correct what he'd messed up. However, I caught sight of my brother handing Evie a tool kit as a gift… one I knew he'd snatched off Burns. I shook my head at them. God, they were sickeningly adorable already.

"Hey, look for bugs. I hate bugs," Hassan commented as O'Connell lowered himself down into the city. I went after him, but immediately wished I hadn't. My fear of the dark kicked in once I was in the dimly lit room. O'Connell took a torch, lit it, and handed it to me. He looked at me in concern, knowing my silly fear. I nodded however, telling him I was okay. Soon, Evie was standing next to us.

"Do you realize we're standing inside a room that no one has entered in over 3,000 years?" she said to us. I took a look around the room; I couldn't tell where we were.

"Ooh! What is that God awful stench?" Jonathan asked as he got down. Then, he looked up and saw Hassan. "Oh." Evie went over towards another ancient mirror. She moved away the cobwebs and tilted the mirror back.

"And then there was light," she muttered as the sun reflected onto the mirror. The light bounced off the mirror and onto several others, lighting up the room considerably. I immediately felt more relaxed, but it was short-lived as I realized what room we were standing in.

"Oh, my God," Evie breathed. "It's a sah-netjer."

"Huh?" O'Connell asked.

"It's a preparation room," I clarified.

"Preparation for what?"

"For entering the afterlife." Evie took on a creepy tone and I snickered as O'Connell drew his gun.

"Mummies, my good son," Jonathan said. "This is where they made the mummies." The five of us started making our way through the halls of the city. O'Connell went first, then Evie, then Jonathan, then Hassan, and I was in the back for safety reasons. Both O'Connell and I had a gun drawn and in our other hands were torches to light the way. At one point, there was a scuttling sound and the five of us froze. We looked around, trying to find where it was coming from, but soon, the scuttling faded.

"What was that?" someone asked.

"Sounds like… bugs." That was O'Connell.

"He said bugs," Evie whispered to Hassan.

"What do you mean bugs? I hate bugs!" Hassan exclaimed. I rolled my eyes. We were standing inside a lost city. This was huge! Not only that, but we were on the verge of finding the Book of Amun-Ra. One would think others could put up with a few bugs. The five of us continued through the city in silence and soon, we reached a chamber.

"The legs of Anubis," Evie said. Once I made it into the chamber, I saw she was right. "The secret compartment should be hidden somewhere inside here." Suddenly, there were some quiet rustles and a low muttering. It sounded a bit like the muttering O'Connell and I heard right before we fled the city three years ago. O'Connell urged us to press ourselves against the statue to hide. O'Connell nodded at me and I came to stand behind him. I quietly cocked my first 9mm and drew the second one from my belt. The rustling and muttering continued. O'Connell and I both had our weapons cocked and nodded at each other. My brother and I stepped out and found ourselves face to face with the Americans, Dr. Chamberlain, Beni, and their diggers. All of us had guns in our hands. I quickly noticed Jonathan and Hassan had drawn theirs as well.

"You scared the bejesus out of us, O'Connell, Ruth," Henderson commented once they noticed who we were.

"Likewise," O'Connell replied. All of us un-cocked our weapons and lowered them.

"Hey, that's my toolkit!" Burns exclaimed coming towards Evie. O'Connell immediately pointed his guns at him. The others quickly followed. However, I kept mine down this time. "Okay, perhaps I was mistaken."

"Well, have a nice day, gentlemen," Evie said. "We have a lot of work to be getting along with."

"Push off! This is our dig site," Dr. Chamberlain countered.

"We got here first!" Evie shot back. Not a second later, all of us, including me, had their guns drawn again.

"This here's our statue friend," Daniels said.

"Well I don't see your name written on it, pal," O'Connell sassed. I caught sight of Evie studying the floor. I saw what she did and put away my weapons.

"Yes, well, there's only five of you, and 15 of me," Beni cut in. "Your odds are not so great O'Connell, Two."

"What the hell is with this 'Two' business?" Henderson suddenly asked. Everyone seemed so stunned they lowered their guns.

"She's the second O'Connell. We all called her Two so they wouldn't get mixed up," Beni explained. Henderson looked confused.

"Your last name's O'Connell?" he asked me. I nodded.

"Don't most siblings share last names?" I asked dryly. Henderson smirked.

"Siblings, huh?" He moved towards me a little bit and O'Connell immediately pointed his guns at the man. I sighed as the others followed suit.

"Get out of here. We've got work to do," O'Connell said. There was a threat laced in his voice.

"Oh, look, for goodness sake," Evie stepped in. "Let's be nice, children. If we're going to play together, we must learn to share." One by one, men started lowering their weapons. "There are other places to dig." Evie said this quietly and to O'Connell. She placed a hand on his arm and he looked at her. I smirked when he almost instantly gave in. Oh, man, these two had it bad. My sneaking suspicion that they were quickly falling in love was growing stronger by the minute. Then, I grew slightly sad. What if I never found someone? It's not like I spent hours thinking about it or that I was super desperate, I actually liked being independent, but… the thought of having a man on my arm made me slightly giddy. I thought no woman would ever be able to tame Rick, and now Evie was doing just that. If there was someone out there for my brother, surely there was someone out there for me… right?

~)8(~

"According to the hieroglyphics, we're underneath the statue. We should come up right between his legs," Evie said coming towards us. O'Connell and Jonathan stood on statues, hacking away at the ceiling with tools. I was too, but I was on a slightly taller statue due to my lack of height.

"When those damn Yanks go to sleep, no offense." Jonathan added the last part for me and O'Connell.

"None taken," we said at the same time.

"We'll dig our way up and steal that book right from under them," Jonathan continued.

"Are you sure we can find the secret compartment thing?" O'Connell asked Evie.

"Yes, if those beastly Americans haven't beaten us to it. No offense." Again, the last part was added for me and O'Connell.

"None taken," we said again.

"Where'd our smelly little friend get to?" Jonathan suddenly asked. O'Connell, Evie, and I paused in our work to realize Hassan had indeed disappeared. However, none of us were too concerned and quickly got back to work. After some more work, Jonathan started playing golf with the tools and rocks. Evie and I were explaining the mummification process to O'Connell.

"So let me get this straight. They ripped out your guts and they stuffed them in jars," he said.

"And then they take out your heart as well," Evie said. "Oh, and do you know how they took out your brains?" I laughed. Evie and I loved this part.

"Evie, I don't think we really need to know this," Jonathan commented. Evie and I ignored him.

"They would get a sharp, hook thing, stick it up your nose, scramble your brains a bit and then yank it all out through your nostrils," I said. O'Connell winced slightly.

"Oh, that's got to hurt," he said touching his nose.

"Well, it's called mummification. You'll be dead when they do this," Evie told him. O'Connell looked at me.

"For the record, if I don't make it out of here, don't put me down for mummification," he said to me. I laughed and nodded. Suddenly, there was something falling. It was long and it fell right out of the ceiling. Evie coughed from the dirt and dust.

"Oh, my… God. It's a sarcophagus," Evie breathed. We all looked up. There was a gaping hole in the ceiling. "Buried at the base of Anubis. He must've been someone of great importance." Then, Evie and I exchanged looks.

"Or, he was the worst of the worst," I said. Evie and I began looking for writing on the sarcophagus.

"Well, who is he?" Jonathan asked. Evie and I exchanged looks before she answered.

"He that shall not be named." O'Connell blew away some dirt to reveal a notch of some kind.

"This looks like some sort of a lock," he said. I had to agree.

"Well, whoever's in here sure wasn't getting out," Jonathan said.

"Yeah, no kidding. It'll take us a month to crack into this thing without a key," O'Connell said. My eyes widened and I gasped. Evie looked at me having realized the same thing.

"A key! A key! Now that's what he was talking about," she said.

"Who was talking about what?" O'Connell asked.

"The hook man," I answered. Evie emerged from her brother's things, the octagonal box in her hand.

"Hey, that's mine," Jonathan complained as she opened it. Evie and I gave him looks before she put the open box into the lock. It was a perfect fit. Not a second later, there was a scream. O'Connell and I immediately drew weapons and rushed outside the room. Evie and Jonathan followed after us. We ran into the hallway and moved aside in time for Hassan to race past us screaming. We watched in wonder and slight fear as he ran towards a wall clutching his head. Hassan ran right into the wall and fell back. He didn't move. He seemed to have knocked himself out. Only upon later inspection did we realize he was in fact… dead.

~)8(~

That night, I had finished feeding Nile and had set up camp. One of my blankets was on the ground next to a fire and the other one was set up as a pillow. I probably would sleep without a blanket, but if it got chilly, I could use my cloak. I was busy cleaning and sharpening my weapons when O'Connell came back from talking to the Americans.

"It seems our American friends had a little misfortune of their own today," he said. "Three of their diggers were… melted."

"What?" Evie breathed. I looked up, not sure what to make of that.

"Salt acid. Pressurized salt acid. Some kind of… ancient booby trap," O'Connell said.

"Maybe this place really is cursed," Jonathan muttered. Suddenly, there was a gust of wind and the four of us fell silent.

"Oh, for goodness sake, you two!" Evie scolded.

"You don't believe in curses, huh?" O'Connell asked her as he stoked the fire.

"No, I don't! I believe if I can see and can touch it, then it's real. That's what I believe," Evie said.

"I believe in being prepared," O'Connell said. He cocked his shotgun and I rolled my eyes. He always did have a dramatic flair to him. Always. Even when we were younger.

"Let's see what our friend the warden believed in," Jonathan said. He reached over and began rustling through Hassan's bag. I went back to my weapons. A few seconds later, Jonathan cried out and retracted his hand. I immediately pulled one of the guns from my belt and looked at him, frightened. Evie had screamed and O'Connell had grabbed his shotgun.

"A broken bottle," Jonathan said. Evie and I breathed sighs of relief. "Glenlivet. Twelve years old! Well, he may have been a stinky fellow but he had good taste." I wrinkled my nose. I had never liked alcohol.

"What do you believe in, Ruth?" Evie asked me. I paused in sharpening my second sword. Most of my weapons were clean and sharp. I had taken off my belt and thigh holsters. All my guns and my four daggers were on the ground. However, I still had the four knives in my boots and the other sword across my back, plus the fine dagger in my hair, concealed by my bandana.

"Are you asking religiously or in general?" I asked.

"In general." I thought for a minute before answering.

"I believe life's short," I started. "I believe being prepared isn't a bad thing, but taking life too seriously takes all the fun out of it. I believe in sitting back and enjoying the ride, but having a gun or sword next to you in case someone tries to ruin it." Evie nodded, understanding what I was getting at. She was just so practical sometimes. O'Connell on the other hand, had many superstitions, but he took things so seriously sometimes. I was kind of a medium between them. I didn't necessarily believe in curses, but I did have some superstitions. Like for instance… that this place was at least haunted. Even three years ago, Hamunaptra gave me the creeps. Being here today, seeing the statue of Anubis, finding the sarcophagus of someone the Egyptians had condemned, Hassan dying, finding out about the three diggers… it was starting to build up. The longer we stayed here, the more uneasy I got. A few seconds later, we heard some horses. O'Connell and I looked over towards the Americans' camp. Something was wrong.

"Take this," O'Connell said to Evie. He handed her his shotgun. I quickly put on my two thigh holsters and slipped my sword back into its sheath across my back. "Stay here." My brother and I got up to find out what was wrong. However, Evie ignored O'Connell and followed us, Jonathan following close behind. My eyes widened as we saw multiple men with weapons and torches riding into the city. God, it was like three years ago all over again. There were shots everywhere and I began shooting as I saw men coming towards me. Soon though, both of my guns were empty. I threw them and my holsters aside before drawing one of my swords. I saw my brother a little ways away. He shot away the sword of one of the men, but he quickly drew another one and made Rick drop his gun. I ran forward and crossed blades with the man. He looked surprised, but recovered and we began fighting.

The man swiped at me and I ducked. I aimed for his legs but he stepped back. Our swords clashed and we seemed to be matched in skill. What he had in strength and height, I made up for in speed. Being so small, I was quick and light on my feet. However, his blows were strong and it took a lot from me to defend myself. At one point, he caught my cheek, taking my bandana with it. My face exploded in pain and my hand flew to my face out of instinct. He took the opportunity to swipe at me again. He caught my left arm and I cried out. I dropped my sword (as I was ambidextrous when it came to fighting and had been using my left hand), but quickly drew my other one. I began fighting back, but my arm was injured and he began to overpower me. I was mostly defending and blocking. However, a few seconds later, I saw a chance. I ducked down and rolled between his legs, grabbing the dagger in my hair. I jammed the blade into his back, in a place he wouldn't be able to reach it. I cursed as I realized my hair had come down, but I would not let it faze me. When my dagger sunk into his skin, the man cried out. He spun and faced me. Only then did I fully realize what he looked like.

I felt like everything froze around me. His hair was black and shoulder length. His eyes were a deep brown and I felt like I could gaze into them forever. His skin was tan and his beard and mustache black. He had tattoos on both of his cheeks. He was big and tall, only a couple inches shorter than my brother. By God, this man was beautiful. However, I shook myself out of my thoughts. This man was my enemy. He was trying to kill me and I was trying to kill him. I noticed that our swords were crossed, but neither of us were making an effort of fight one another. In fact, he looked as fixed on me as I was on him. However, his eyes were calculating, as if I were a riddle he were trying to solve. I shook myself again and kicked his feet out from under him. The man grunted and fell back, but before I could strike him, he rolled out of the way and got back to his feet. He and I resumed fighting, until I felt someone take my by the waist and pull me behind them. I saw O'Connell standing in front of me, his arm keeping me back. He was threatening the man I was fighting with a… lit stick of dynamite.

"Enough!" the man called to his comrades. He repeated the command in Arabic. His voice was deep and had an exotic Egyptian accent to it. "We will shed no more blood. But you must leave. Leave this place or die. You have one day." The man, I assumed he was in charge, turned and mounted a horse. He looked at me one last time. Again, it was a calculating look. It kind of irked me to tell the truth. A second later, he and his men were gone.

* * *

Hey all! Here's Ardeth (finally)! So, I just wanted to tell you all that I have almost half of this story written and I will probably post the next two chapters tonight! Yay! Anywho, just a quick reminder to vote on the poll. You guys probably don't want me choosing for you ;)

For those of you who are reading my Doctor Who story, I will try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can. I have just been swamped in homework since school started and it's taking me some time. I managed to get this story written before school started and I'm just now getting the chance to upload it. Again, I will try and get the next chapter for "New Feelings" up as fast as I can.

**Reviews**

NicoleR85: Nice to see you again! I'm glad you like the story :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Mistakes in Resurrection**

_Hamunaptra_

After the strange, desert warriors had gone, O'Connell and I had agreed to an alliance with the Americans at night, just in case they showed up again. Rick had cleaned the cut on my face and bound the slash on my arm. I gathered up my weapons and began cleaning, reloading, and sharpening them again. I was almost done when a drunken Evie almost kissed my brother, but fell asleep on his lap instead. O'Connell sighed and laid her down before turning to me.

"What are you thinking?" he asked me. I looked up. I had been thinking an awful lot about what the warrior had said.

"Well, you said it earlier. These men are from the desert. They value water, not gold. So, what are they so determined to keep hidden?"

"Go on," my brother urged. I sighed and put down my last sword.

"What he said, the way he said it… It almost sounded like a warning, not a threat," I said. O'Connell's eyebrows drew together.

"Is there a difference?" he asked.

"Of course there is," I replied. "A threat includes the indication that we will be harmed while a warning is more of just a foretelling of what's to come."

"But, Ruth, they did threaten us," O'Connell argued. "He said to leave this place or we will die."

"Yes, but, he didn't specifically say they would kill us," I corrected. "If he were threatening us he would say, 'Leave this place or we will kill you.' But, he said, 'Leave this place or die.'"

"You're tired and overlooking things," O'Connell said. I shook my head.

"Think what you want, but something is wrong about this place, Rick, and they were warning us to get out or something bad would happen. I mean, even three years ago I thought this place was… off. I never wanted to come back here, that's why I had Dr. Bey purposefully try to burn the map at the museum." O'Connell's eyes rose at that. "But after everything that's happened in just a day, I'm less sure about this place than I ever was." O'Connell didn't answer, but after a few minutes, he spoke again.

"If you don't want to be here, why did you come?"

"Because you came." I said like it was obvious. "Rick, I haven't seen you in 2 ½ years. I wasn't going to just get you out of jail and then ditch you. If you were going to lead them here, then I was going to come." O'Connell moved next to me right as I put the last of my weapons away. He put his arm over my shoulder and I leaned on him. He leaned his head on mine.

"We'll be okay, Ruthie. This time isn't like last time. We'll be fine," he assured me. Comfort washed over me at his words and I nodded. I snuggled in closer to my brother and tried to ignore the still there, but smaller uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. Deep down, I knew it didn't matter what O'Connell said. I would always be uneasy here. I would always believe that there was something off about this city.

~)8(~

The next morning, O'Connell, Evie, Jonathan and I went back into the city and down to the sarcophagus we had found yesterday. We managed to get the top layer open with the key and lifted the lid up. With difficulty, O'Connell and Jonathan managed to get the sarcophagus out of the first layer and leaned it against one of the walls.

"Oh, I've dreamt about this since I was a little girl," Evie breathed.

"You dream about dead guys?" O'Connell asked.

"Oh, look. The sacred spells have been chiseled off," Evie said looking at the case. I followed her gaze and saw she was right. "This man must've been condemned not only in this life, but in the next."

"Tough break," O'Connell said.

"Yeah, I'm all tears," Jonathan said sarcastically. I pushed aside the growing uneasiness in my gut as he unlocked the coffin. "Let's see who's inside, shall we?" He and O'Connell struggled with the lid for a few seconds, but suddenly, it flew out and the body fell forward slightly. All four of us screamed at the surprise, but quickly recovered.

"Oh, I hate it when these things do that!" Evie cried.

"Is he supposed to look like that?" O'Connell asked eying the body. My eyebrows rose in disgust and surprise. The wrappings were nowhere to be seen. The body in fact looked like it was still… decomposing. But… he was too old… how was that possible? My uneasy feeling grew almost to the point where I voiced my concerns.

"No, I've never seen a mummy look like this before. He's still… still…" Evie trailed off.

"Juicy," O'Connell and Jonathan finished. That was the perfect word for the corpse we were staring at.

"Yes," Evie said.

"God, he's over 3,000 years old and he's still decomposing. That shouldn't be possible," I said. Evie nodded in agreement.

"Hey, look at that," O'Connell spoke up. I followed his gaze towards the inside of the lid to the sarcophagus. There were scratches all over it. "What do you make of this?"

"My God, these marks were made by… fingernails," Evie said as she ran her fingers over the marks. I shivered as I realized she was right. "This man was buried alive."

"Guys, he left a message," I said. I ran my fingers over the writing as I read it. "Death is only the beginning." My blood turned cold at what that could mean. The four of us looked at the corpse in unison, unnerved and unsure of what to do next. This man had been buried alive inside a locked sarcophagus with the sacred spells chipped away. He hadn't been named and he had been buried at the base of Anubis and he had written a warning in his sarcophagus. Who was this man? And what had he done when he was alive? I shivered at the possibilities and prayed I would never know.

~)8(~

The rest of the day had been pretty uneventful and it gave me time to do my actual job. I worked as a translator. I lived in Cairo for six months and London for the other six months. I translated books, documents, texts, anything really. I knew 10 languages including Ancient Egyptian, Hieroglyphs, and Hieratics. However, I also knew how to read and write several dead languages. I was in the middle of translating a document from Ancient Greek into English when the Americans and Beni came over. Beni sat down on O'Connell's left (as I was on his right) and the Americans sat across from us.

"Say, O'Connell," Henderson started. Both of us looked up. "What do you think these babies will fetch back home?" I snickered as I saw what was in his hand, plus Daniels's and Burns's. "Something funny, Two?" The Americans had taken to calling me Two.

"Do you have any idea what those are?" I asked. The men shook their heads and I snickered even more, but didn't tell them. I began to rub my ear and O'Connell laughed when he noticed me doing it. He knew I had a tendency to do that if I was silently judging someone. They were sacred jars used to store the organs from mummies.

"We heard you guys found yourselves a nice gooey mummy," Burns mocked. He probably noticed I was mocking them and decided to turn the tables around. "Well congratulations."

"You know if you dry that fella out you might be able to sell him for firewood," Daniels added. The three Americans and Beni found this very amusing, but O'Connell, Jonathan, and I weren't laughing.

"Look what I found!" Evie called to us as she came up.

"You're in her seat," O'Connell told Beni sternly. The Hungarian merely laughed. "Now!"

"Yeah," he got up and moved to the other side of Jonathan.

"Scarab skeletons," Evie said. She sat down next to O'Connell. "Flesh eaters. I found them inside our friend's coffin. They can stay alive for years feasting on the flesh of a corpse. Unfortunately for our friend, he was still alive when they started eating them." The Americans' moods deflated and everyone fell silent. However, Evie seemed to think this was exciting. She was on her first dig after all, she seemed to think everything here was exciting. I picked up one of the skeletons in her hand and studied it. It was definitely a scarab, vicious things. God, I didn't care if you were Satan or my worst enemy, no one deserved to be eaten alive by scarabs.

"So somebody threw these in with our guy and they slowly ate him alive?" O'Connell asked.

"Very slowly," Evie and I said at the same time.

"Well, he certainly wasn't a popular fellow when they planted him, was he?" Jonathan said. I couldn't help but agree. But, the Egyptians weren't barbarians. They wouldn't condemn someone like this without good reasoning.

"He probably got a little too frisky with the pharaoh's daughter," O'Connell said. Evie laughed lightly, but a thought came to me.

"Hey, Evie?" I asked. "What curse did this guy suffer?"

"The Hom-Dai." I froze.

"But, that was never performed. That was the worst of all Ancient Egyptian curses," I said. Evie nodded.

"I know." My eyes closed in horror. God, what the hell did this guy do? It must've been truly horrible if the Egyptians condemned him with the Hom-Dai. That curse was never performed, never. Everyone feared it so they didn't use it.

"That bad, huh?" O'Connell asked. Judging from his tone, he was not taking this seriously.

"The Hom-Dai was never used because everyone was terrified of it. If a victim of the Hom-Dai were ever resurrected, they would be like a walking plague. They would literally bring with them the 10 Plagues of Egypt," I explained. With that, everyone decided it was a change of conversation. Everyone branched off on their own conversations and I got back to translating.

"What'cha got there?" I heard someone ask. I looked to my right and saw Burns sitting there. I smiled slightly. As arrogant and rude as Daniels and Henderson could be, Burns was actually an alright guy.

"I'm a translator," I explained. "I'm merely getting some work done." Burns nodded.

"What language is that?" he asked.

"Ancient Greek," I replied.

"You know Ancient Greek?" I looked at Burns and saw the surprise on his face. I nodded and smiled.

"I can read and write several dead languages," I informed him. "I also know Ancient Egyptian, English, obviously, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Hebrew, Arabic, German, Japanese, and Chinese." Burns's amazement grew with every language I listed. "I'm currently learning Swahili and Farsi. I want to learn Russian."

"Impressive," Burns managed to get out. I laughed and showed him what I was working on.

"This is a letter from a man in Ancient Greece to his lover. This woman approached me a few days before we came here and asked me to translate a series of them for her as she doesn't know the language. Normally I do professional jobs, but I wanted to help so I accepted. The man and woman are her ancestors."

"What does it say?" he asked. I turned to my notes and read what I had translated.

"My love, I can only hope that you are doing well and this letter makes it to you. I know how your father feels about us, so I think it best we keep the letters few. But, I can't help it, I want to see you. I need to see you, my love. I need to see your flowing hair and your shining eyes and your bright smile. Do you want to meet?"

"What, that's it?" Burns asked. I laughed.

"That's all I have translated so far," I said. Burns flushed a little bit and took his glasses off to clean them. He and I talked some more, but soon, it was time for everyone to go to bed. I went to groom and feed Nile since I had (stupidly) forgotten to do it earlier. I was heading back to camp when I heard someone yell.

"No! You must not read from the book!" It was Dr. Chamberlain. I looked at O'Connell and Evie. In front of them was an open book. It was black and made of… stone… graphite… some kind of hard substance. My eyes widened when I got closer. I saw what it was.

"Is that what I think it is?" I asked. My question went unheard as breeze picked up and a rumbling sounded from somewhere in the distance. Yes. It was what I thought it was. That book was the Book of the Dead, the opposite of the Book of Amun-Ra. Jonathan jerked awake as the rumbling got louder and we all looked in the direction it was coming from. Suddenly, I was cursing myself for putting away most of my weapons. The only things I had left on my person were my swords and the two knives in my boots. The rest of my weapons were with my things either on Nile or at my camp. Soon, we could see what the rumbling was. It was a swarm of locusts.

"Run!" O'Connell yelled. I followed O'Connell, Evie, Jonathan, Beni, and the Americans into the city as the locusts swarmed us. At one point, the Americans and Beni plus a couple of their diggers. We cautiously made our way through the halls of the city. One of my swords was drawn and O'Connell had a gun out. Both he and Jonathan had torches in their hands. Suddenly, there was a rumble and a small mound of sand began to rise. The four of us watched in curiosity and caution as it continued rising. A few seconds later, hundreds of scarabs burst from the mound.

"Go! Run! Go!" I yelled. The four of us sprinting down the halls, Rick shooting at the scarabs as they chased us. At one point, we came into a room where the floor became a bridge. Evie and I flattened ourselves against a wall, Jonathan jumped onto a side platform, and O'Connell jumped one another side platform. The scarabs rushed passed, not giving us a second thought. Evie and I grasped hands in fear and pushed ourselves against the wall even more. But suddenly, there wasn't a wall behind us anymore and Evie and I fell back with screams. It must've been a trapdoor. Evie managed to stay standing, but I fell back on my bum in the dimly lit room. My nerves immediately jumped up again and I slowly lowered myself off the ground. However, Evie and I froze when we heard moaning. We turned and saw… Burns? Yes, it was Burns.

"Oh," Evie sighed in relief. "Oh, Mr. Burns. Thank goodness, I was just starting to get scared. We lost everyone…" Evie trailed off as Burns turned around. My eyes widened and I almost screamed. His eyes were missing.

"My eyes! My eyes!" It sounded like his tongue was missing as well. Evie shuffled back, but I stepped forward to catch Burns as he fell. Good God, what the hell happened to him? I snapped my gaze up when I heard Evie scream. Evie scrambled back against the wall and the mummy came towards her. Yes, it was the mummy, the same one O'Connell, Evie, Jonathan, and I found. He was walking and alive. The mummy went towards my friend before he caught sight of me. Then, he came towards me. I froze. I felt like I couldn't move. I was frozen in fear.

"_Amunet… come."_ He spoke in Ancient Egyptian. But… why did he call me Amunet? Who was that? And why did that name sound so familiar? I shook myself out of my stupor and reached for one of my swords. I swung at the mummy, and he got the message. He gave up and moved over to Evie. He eyed her and reached out a hand. He said something to her I couldn't make out. I hated to leave Evie, but I had to get Burns out of here. As soon as O'Connell and Jonathan found their way into the room, I sheathed my sword and dragged the softly moaning Burns into a hallway. I turned the corner and stopped. I wanted to wait until the coast was clear. After a minute or so, I heard footsteps, several of them. I put a hand over Burns's mouth to quiet him and slowly drew one of my swords. I slowed my breathing and listened. Within 30 seconds, numerous men came around the corner with torches and guns. They all pointed their weapons at me. God, what now? I was so done with… My thoughts cut off as a familiar face came forward.

"You," I breathed. It was the same warrior I had fought last night.

"What have you done?" he asked coldly. I immediately scowled at his accusation.

"Nothing!" I insisted. Well, that wasn't true. "What's happening?"

"You have raised the Creature. You have doomed us all," he said.

"I did not read from that damn book," I said. "That's what this is about, right? 'The Creature' suffered the Hom-Dai, Evie accidentally resurrected him, and now the Plagues are coming. There was already a swarm of locusts." The man raised his eyebrow, like he hadn't expected me to know that. "What happened to Burns?"

"The Creature took his eyes and tongue for himself. He must've been one of the ones that opened the chest," the man replied. I looked down at Burns, a man I had recently come to consider a friend.

"What chest?" I asked.

"The chest containing the Book of the Dead and the five sacred jars."

"What's going to happen to him?" I asked. The man merely looked at me grimly and my eyes widened.

"What do you know about Imhotep?" That was another name I recognized, but unlike Amunet, I knew where I had heard it.

"Not much, just that he was Seti's High Priest. Was that him?" I said. The man nodded and looked at his men. He ordered them to go back to the surface. Two of his men took Burns and carried him as they walked.

"Come," the man said. I nodded and jumped up. I sheathed my sword and walked with him.

"Who are you?" I asked as we walked through the halls of the city.

"We are the Medjai. We watch over Hamunaptra and tried to keep the Creature from rising," the man said.

"Medjai… Pharaoh's sacred bodyguards, right?" I asked. The man looked a little impressed at my knowledge and nodded.

"We are their descendants, yes," he said.

"So, why was Pharaoh's High Priest condemned to the worst curse in Ancient Egypt?" I asked.

"There's not enough time to explain," he said. "But, he will bring death wherever he goes. No one is safe." I stepped a little farther away from the very serious, intense man. It didn't matter how attractive he was. He was deadly and slightly unnerving.

"Okay, so who's Amunet?" I asked.

"What?" the man faltered in his steps at that.

"Amunet. Imhotep called me that back there. He called me Amunet and wanted me to come with him." The man looked confused.

"I have never heard that name before," I said. I sagged a little bit in disappointment. I was sure I had heard that name before… I just couldn't remember where.

"Okay, on to the important question," I started. "How do we kill Imhotep?" I asked. The man looked at me seriously.

"We can't," he said. My eyes widened and I stopped slightly. The man looked at me empathetically, like he was as worried as me. He probably was. He and I continued in silence until I felt the urge to ask.

"How's your back feeling?" The man laughed lightly, despite our situation. I caught a quick glimpse of his smile. It was a nice change. His face lit up and he didn't look so intimidating.

"A little sore," he admitted. "What about your arm?" I looked down at it.

"Bleeding," I said. "It must've reopened recently."

"I'm sorry… for that," he said. I smiled.

"Me too," I replied. The man and I walked the rest of the way in silence. Soon, we were outside the city. The Medjai warriors lined up at the entrance and waited. Burns and I were behind them, waiting for our friends to return.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Amunet**

_Hamunaptra_

The Medjai cocked their guns and pointed them at O'Connell, Evie, Jonathan, Henderson, and Daniels. The leader stepped forward and addressed them.

"We told you to leave or die. You refused. Now you may have killed us all," he said. His serious, intense tone was back. "You have unleashed the Creature we have feared for more than 3,000 years."

"Relax! I got him," O'Connell said. I rolled my eyes. He was so sure of himself. I highly doubted Imhotep could be stopped by a mere bullet.

"No mortal weapon can kill this Creature," the man insisted, confirming my thoughts. "He is not of this world." The two Medjai warriors who had carried Burns came forward and laid him down by Henderson and Daniels. The two men immediately looked concerned and stared at their friend.

"You bastards," Daniels hissed.

"What did you do to him?" Henderson demanded.

"They saved him," I jumped in. I came forward and looked at the two men. "And me before the Creature could come and finish what he started."

"Ruth!" I heard two voices yell. It was O'Connell and Evie. I leapt into my brother's arms and hugged him. Then, I hugged Evie.

"Now leave, all of you, quickly, before he finishes you all," the leader ordered. It was then I noticed Dr. Chamberlain in front of the Medjai, the Book of the Dead clutched to his chest. The leader ordered his men to lower their weapons and go into the city. "We must now go on the hunt. And try and find a way to kill him."

"I already told you, I got him," O'Connell insisted. I rolled my eyes at my brother.

"Know this," the leader started. "This Creature is the bringer of death. He will never eat, he will never sleep, he will never stop." The man turned to go into the city, but I rushed forward and grabbed his arm.

"Let me come with you," I requested quietly. The man immediately shook his head.

"No, it is too risky," he said. I lowered my voice even more and switched to Arabic.

"_Look, we're the reason he's alive again. At least one of us should stay and try to fix what we've done." _The man looked like he was trying to find an argument.

"_Does it hurt?" _I was confused. _"You face." _He gently reached up and touched my cheek, right where he had cut it. I hissed slightly and he drew his hand back. _"I am sorry." _

"_Please let me help,"_ I begged. The leader thought for a minute.

"_Then go back to Cairo. Try to find out who Amunet is. That will give us some insight to his plans."_ I sighed and nodded. _"Here."_ The leader brought out something from his belt. I laughed lightly when I saw it was my dagger.

"_Thanks…" _I trailed off, realizing I didn't know his name.

"_Ardeth. Ardeth Bay,"_ he said. I smiled.

"_Nice to meet you Ardeth Bay. I'm Ruth O'Connell." _A hint of a smile appeared on Ardeth's face and he offered me his hand. I shook it.

"_Until we meet again, Ruth O'Connell."_ With that, he turned and joined his men in the city. I turned back to my friends and O'Connell approached me.

"What was that about?" he asked. He had that protective gleam in his eyes and I sighed.

"Nothing important," I lied. Within half an hour, all of us had packed up and were leaving Hamunaptra.

~)8(~

_Cairo_

I was sitting at the desk in my room. I had been pouring over books all day, trying to find where I had read the name "Amunet" before. But… I wasn't having any luck so far. However, I had quite a few books here in Cairo. I managed to bring all of them with me this time to Cairo because this trip wasn't going to last just six months. I was staying here for two years this time. I had actually been thinking about moving to Cairo permanently. I had gone through about 300 books by the time O'Connell walked into my place.

"Can you believe Evelyn? She says she's staying and going to try and fix… What's all this?" O'Connell trailed off from his complaints about Evie upon seeing the state of my room.

"Research," I merely answered.

"Don't tell me…" I remained silent. "Ruth!"

"I'm staying, Rick," I said. "I've got to help. We're the reason he's alive again, we have to fix this."

"No, this is not our fault. Evelyn's the one who read that book. This is _her _problem, not ours." I glared at my brother slightly.

"And she is my best friend. I'm not just going to leave her here to deal with this by herself. I'm staying here." I went back to the book I was scanning.

"This is about him, isn't it?" O'Connell asked.

"I'm afraid you'll have to be a little more specific," I replied.

"That desert warrior guy. This is about him." It wasn't a question anymore. O'Connell seemed convinced. I could deny my attraction for Ardeth aloud to my brother, but I couldn't deny it silently to myself.

"No, it's not. But, he did ask me to do research and try and find out what the Creature's plans are," I said.

"I knew it," O'Connell breathed.

"Are you suggesting what I think you are?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That he's got you wrapped around his little finger, then yes," O'Connell replied. I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, because you and Evie haven't been making goo-goo eyes at each other for the past couple days," I shot back.

"No we haven't!"

"Oh, whatever. This is about doing the right thing, Rick. This isn't about the warrior, or my skills, or even Evie. This is about doing what's right." O'Connell didn't have an argument for that. "And I'm not surprised you're running away. You've always done what's best and easiest for you, Rick. You either run away from your problems or you shoot them. You drink away your sorrows and spend time at casbahs. You got thrown in jail and nearly hanged because you were looking for a good time." O'Connell fell silent. "I just wish you would do the right thing for once."

"I'm leaving on that boat tomorrow. You can either stay or come with me," O'Connell said.

"I'm staying." O'Connell looked sad at that answer, but his face hardened and he stalked out of the room. I heard him leave my place and I got back to work, ignoring the guilty feeling in my gut for saying all I had. It wasn't true… not all of it anyway. I truly felt that he always took the easy way out, but I knew how untrue that was. I shook my head. I would apologize later. I needed to get back to work. After about another hour and 20 more books, I was almost done. I went to go get myself a glass of water, but when I took a sip, I immediately spit it out. It tasted like blood.

"What the…" I trailed off as I saw what was once clear water. My water had turned red. "And the rivers and waters of Egypt ran red, and were as blood." I immediately went and put on all my weapons. I slung my swords across my back, strapped on my belt with two guns and four daggers. I stuffed the four knives down my boots and strapped on my thigh holsters. I stuffed the extra gun down the back of my pants and grabbed my shotgun. I made sure I had plenty of shells in their slots and grabbed the three books I had left to look through. I ran outside the house and found O'Connell talking with Evie. I lived very near Evie and Jonathan.

"There's a problem," I said coming up to them.

"Yeah, we know," O'Connell replied. "He's here." Suddenly, there was a clap of thunder. The three of us turned and looked at the sky. My eyes widened as I saw fiery hail coming down. It was another Plague. He was definitely here.

"Burns," I realized. I grabbed O'Connell and rushed towards where I knew Burns was. I looked at the sky briefly and turned in time to see Beni coming down the stairs. He saw O'Connell and me and tried to escape.

"Hey!" O'Connell cried. He pinned Beni against the wall and I pulled one of my guns. "Beni, you little stinkweed. Where you been?" There was a roar coming from upstairs and Beni managed to escape. I cursed, but let him go. He was much less important than Burns and Imhotep. I led the way up the stairs and into the building, O'Connell and Evie following. We got to where Burns was and I felt like throwing up. Sitting in a chair, was a dead and dry looking Burns. Imhotep had assimilated his fluids and vitals. All that was left was a skeleton, dry skin, and some hair. I heard a noise and I immediately lifted my gun. I saw O'Connell had done the same and we watched as Imhotep began to grow muscle and tissue. He was regenerating. The Creature turned and roared at us.

"We are in serious trouble," O'Connell said. Well no shit, Sherlock. Imhotep came towards us and despite not being able to kill him, O'Connell and I still shot him. Evie cried out slightly at our shooting, but Imhotep seemed completely unfazed. He just kept advancing. Then, Imhotep did something really surprising. He pulled me behind him, like he was protecting me, and threw O'Connell across the room.

"_You are forgiven my dear, Amunet."_ Ancient Egyptian again. Imhotep lifted his hand and caressed the side of my face, despite my cringing away. He seemed unfazed by it. Then, he turned to Evie. I couldn't tell what he said again, but he leaned forward, as if he were going to kiss her. Evie cringed and tried to get away. Then, the piano in the room sounded. All of us turned and saw Evie's cat. Imhotep shrieked and backed up. The cat hissed and Imhotep shrieked again before turning to sand and flying away.

"We are in very serious trouble," O'Connell said. I looked at Evie.

"You okay?" I asked. She didn't look okay, but she nodded anyway.

"Yes. Are you?" I nodded and put away the gun I held.

~)8(~

O'Connell, Evie, Jonathan, Henderson, Daniels, and I were walking through the Museum of Antiquities. I had managed to hold onto the last three books and I intended to study them while we talked with Dr. Bey. All of us were hoping he could shed some light on the situation.

"He does seem to like Evie, Ruth as well," Jonathan said. He was referring to how Imhotep seemed to have taken an interest in us.

"Yeah, what's that about?" O'Connell asked.

"What's this guy want anyway?" Daniels asked.

"There's only one person I know that could possibly give us any answers," Evie said. We turned into an exhibition room, only to find Dr. Bey talking with… Ardeth? Yes, it was Ardeth. "You!" Evie cried. O'Connell, Jonathan, Henderson, and Daniels pulled their guns on him. I rolled my eyes.

"Miss Carnahan," Dr. Bey greeted. He didn't sound particularly happy to see her. "Gentlemen. Ruth."

"Hello, Dr. Bey," I greeted. I walked up to the two men. "Ardeth."

"What is he doing here?" Evie demanded.

"Do you really want to know, or would you prefer to just shoot us?" Dr. Bey said. O'Connell immediately put away his gun.

"Ruth has faith in you," he said to Ardeth. "I guess I can have a little faith as well." All of us sat down. I opened one of my books and listened to Dr. Bey at the same time.

"We are part of an ancient secret society," he explained. "For over 3,000 years we have guarded the City of the Dead. We are sworn at manhood to do any and all in our power to stop the High Priest Imhotep from being reborn into this world."

"And now because of you, we have failed," Ardeth added.

"And you think this justifies the killing of innocent people?" Evie asked incredulously.

"To stop this Creature? Let me think…" Dr. Bey started.

"Yes!" Both he and Ardeth answered. Evie didn't reply.

"Question. Why doesn't he like cats?" O'Connell asked.

"Cats are the guardians of the Underworld," I answered not looking up. I was on my last book and still nothing. I was getting very frustrated.

"He will fear them until he is fully regenerated," Dr. Bey added.

"And then he will fear nothing," Ardeth concluded.

"Yeah, and you know how he gets himself fully regenerated?" Daniels asked.

"By killing everyone who opened that chest," Henderson started.

"And sucking them dry, that's how!" Daniels finished.

"Jonathan, will you stop playing with that?" Evie scolded her brother as he started playing with artifacts. "When I saw him alive at Hamunaptra he called me Anck-su-namun." My eyes widened as I heard yet another familiar name. Pieces of information began sliding into place. I saw Ardeth and Dr. Bey exchange looks at the name as well. "And just now in Mr. Burns's quarters he tried to kiss me."

"It was because of his love for Anck-su-namun that he was cursed," Dr. Bey said. "Apparently after even 3,000 years-"

"He is still in love with her," Ardeth said.

"Yes, well, that's very romantic, but what has it got to do with me?" Evie asked.

"Perhaps he will once again try to raise her from the dead," Ardeth said to Dr. Bey.

"Yes. It appears he has already chosen his human sacrifice," Dr. Bey replied. The two men looked at Evie and I looked up from my book as well.

"Bad luck, old mum," Jonathan told her.

"On the contrary," Dr. Bey said standing up. We all looked at him. "It may just give us the time we need to kill the Creature."

"Okay, wait," O'Connell spoke up. "What about Ruth? What does Imhotep want with her?" Before Dr. Bey could say anything, Ardeth spoke to me.

"Did you find anything?" he asked. I closed the book in my lap in frustration.

"Nothing!" I cried. "I have gone through every single book I own, which is a lot by the way, and nothing! I know I've read the name somewhere, but I just can't place it." Ardeth put a hand on my shoulder and I relaxed.

"What name?" Dr. Bey asked.

"Amunet," I replied. His eyes widened slightly and my hope flared up.

"Who's Amunet?" Evie asked.

"I've read that name before also," Dr. Bey said. "Although, I can't remember where…" I sighed and moved away from Ardeth. I ran a hand over my face.

"Okay, Amunet is a minor Egyptian Goddess, but it's not that. Okay, think, Ruth, think! Okay, whoever she was, Imhotep knew her. Let's see relative, friend, priestess, no… Wait…" I trailed off and everyone stared at me. "Amunet means secret of hidden one."

"So?" Jonathan asked. The information slid into place and I remembered who she was.

"The library… the book's in the library… I think… yes, no… yes!" I rushed towards the library without another word. I remembered where I had seen the name and what it had to do with Imhotep and Anck-su-namun. I heard someone run after me, but I didn't look back. I ran into the still extremely messy library and went over to the right section. I began searching through books.

"What are you looking for?" the someone asked. I recognized the voice as Ardeth's.

"I'm looking for-Got it!" I cried. I brought out the very thick volume and held it up. I turned and found Ardeth standing right behind me, and I mean _right behind me_. I cried out and lost my balance in all the clutter. Ardeth's eyes widened and he reached forward to catch me. However, that only brought him down on top of me. Both of us groaned as we hit the floor. I felt butterflies erupt in my stomach and my face heat up as I looked at Ardeth. God… his eyes were so beautiful. I felt like I could drown in them. I suddenly had everything I liked or admired about Ardeth come to my head.

He was so dedicated to his men and role as a Medjai, it was amazing to me. Especially since I was used to Jonathan who was one of the most lazy and dishonest people I had ever met and my brother who didn't really commit to anything long term. His seriousness was endearing. I could see how passionate he was about some things and how seriously he took them. I often found my brother's seriousness annoying, sometimes Evie's. Jonathan was rarely serious about anything. This man was talented, kind, and smart. He was a warrior and very dedicated. It was… everything I wanted in a man. Although, his being attractive and having a sexy accent definitely helped.

"I, um, apologize," Ardeth said quietly. I felt a little better, knowing that he felt as awkward as me right now. However, he made no move to get up.

"It's okay," I managed to get out. "I managed to hold onto the book." Surprisingly, Ardeth chuckled. It made me beam, knowing he laughed at my lame attempt to break the tension. However, it seemed to have worked. Ardeth heaved himself up before helping me up. I blushed slightly as his large, warm hand encased mine. They felt like they fit… but that could just be my attraction for him coming through. I clutched the book to my chest and the two of us walked back to the exhibition room everyone was in. Ardeth and I walked in a comfortable silence, neither of us aware of how our hands were brushing every once in a while.

"Did you find it?" Dr. Bey asked as we returned. I nodded and opened the book to the right section. I skimmed the story and spoke aloud.

"Okay, so there's the whole Seti, Imhotep, Anck-su-namun love triangle, right? Well, there is a very obscure version of the story that suggests Imhotep and Anck-su-namun were together far longer than anticipated. Long enough to have a child." It was already silent in the room, but now everyone seemed to be holding their breaths as well. "Being Pharaoh's mistress, Anck-su-namun lied and told Seti the child was his when in fact, it was Imhotep's. When she was born, they named the child Amunet, for secret of hidden one. Because the girl's true parentage would always remain a secret. However, the girl was born three months premature and died one month later." Despite my not thinking it was possible, the room became even more silent. "It is said that when Imhotep tried to raise Anck-su-namun, he also tried to raise their daughter, Amunet. Should Imhotep ever arise, he will surely try to wake not only his love, but their child as well." I finished and slowly closed the book.

"A human sacrifice would not only being Amunet back, but it would bring her back healthy," Dr. Bey said. "However, this will give us even more time to figure out how to kill him."

"We will need at the help we can get," Ardeth spoke. I followed his gaze and my eyes widened. "His powers are growing." Everyone watched the solar eclipse through the skylight. The room gradually grew darker around us.

"And he stretched forth his hand towards the heavens, and there was darkness throughout the land of Egypt," Jonathan recited. Everyone exchanged nervous looks. This was Darkness, the ninth plague. His powers were definitely getting stronger. And if he was getting stronger, we were all in trouble.

* * *

Hey all! Here's chapter five. Unfortunately, these are the only chapters I have for you tonight. I will post more once they are written and/or edited. Hope you all liked it.

Don't forget the poll!

Cheers!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Remembrance**

_Cairo_

"We must stop him from regenerating!" Evie cried. "Who opened that chest?" O'Connell, Evie, Jonathan, Henderson, Daniels, and I had gone back to Evie's place. The solar eclipse was still happening outside.

"Well there was me and Daniels, here," Henderson said. "Oh, and Burns of course."

"And that Egyptologist fella," Daniels added. That must've been Dr. Chamberlain.

"What about our buddy Beni?" O'Connell asked.

"Nah, he scrammed out of there before we opened the damn thing," Daniels said.

"Yeah, he was the smart one," Henderson added.

"Yeah, that sounds like Beni," I muttered.

"Find the Egyptologist and bring him back to the safety of the fort before the Creature can get to him," Evie said. I nodded. That was the only way we were going to keep Imhotep from regenerating.

"Right," O'Connell said. "She stays here. You three come with me." There was an outburst. O'Connell knew not to boss me around because he knew I'd make him black and blue all over. However, the other four began protesting at their orders. The three men didn't want to go with O'Connell, but Evie did.

"O'Connell! What do you think you are doing!" Evie shrieked as O'Connell picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. He carried her into her room, Evie still protesting. O'Connell came back out, locked the door, and grabbed Daniels by his collar.

"This door doesn't open. She doesn't come out and no one goes in," O'Connell said in a low, threatening voice. "Right?"

"Right," Daniels immediately said. O'Connell turned to Henderson.

"Right?"

"Right." O'Connell turned and tossed me the key to Evie's room. She was still yelling from the other side of the door.

"Let's go Jonathan," O'Connell said as he began to walk out.

"I thought I'd just… stay the fort and-"

"Now!"

"Right." The two of them walked out leaving me alone with the still yelling Evie and Henderson and Daniels. I went over to the couch near the window and began removing some of my weapons. O'Connell had taken my shotgun and shells. I took off my thigh holsters and belt. I took off my swords as well. However, I kept the four knives down my boots, the gun down the back of my pants, and the small dagger in my hair on my person.

"Hey, Two?" I turned and saw Daniels had addressed me. "Why didn't you go with O'Connell?"

"Because if I had, I doubt I would be able to keep myself from killing Beni," I answered honestly. Both he and Henderson looked a little thrown at my answer.

"What did he do to you?" Henderson asked. I sighed.

"Do you really want to know?" I asked. Both men nodded.

"Beni was telling the truth when he said everyone called me 'Two' because I was the second O'Connell. But, the reason no one called me Ruth was because no women were allowed in the French Foreign Legion. Rick and Beni plus our commanding officer were the only people to know who I really was. Anyway, three years ago, we found Hamunaptra, but we were fought for it. Now, don't get me wrong, I didn't like Beni even then, but what he did only made it worse. He ran away. We were getting ready for a fight, for a battle, and he and our commanding officer ran away. Not only that, but at one point, Rick tried to get into the safety of the city and Beni shut the door on him, trapping everyone outside. Besides Beni, Rick and I were the only ones to make it out alive." Henderson and Daniels were stunned silent. "Beni left us out there to rot, and by the time Rick and I made it back to civilization, both of us were on the brink of death. We were dehydrated, exhausted, and had heat exhaustion. I was only 19." Henderson nearly choked on air and Daniels's jaw dropped.

"19?" Both of them exclaimed. I merely nodded and went back to organizing my weapons. The men dropped the subject and at one point, Daniels left to get him and Henderson drinks.

"Quit pacing, will you?" I said as Henderson began to do just that. He paused and muttered an apology.

"It's just hard to relax when you've got a mummy after you," he said.

"He's after me too," I reminded him.

"Yeah, why is that? He could've chosen anyone. Why you?" Henderson asked. I thought about it for a couple seconds.

"Probably because I was the youngest one at Hamunaptra," I said. "He's trying to resurrect a very, very young infant. The younger, the better I guess." Henderson nodded, like it made sense. To be honest, it was just a guess. I had no idea why or how Imhotep decided Evie and I would be his sacrifices. Frankly, I didn't care. I just wanted this all to be over. A week ago, I barely dared to imagine I would see my brother again, let alone that we would go back to Hamunaptra and get chased down by a mummy we accidentally resurrected. I noticed Evie had fallen silent on the other side of the door. She probably realized there was no way she was getting out.

"How do you do it?" Henderson suddenly asked me. I looked up at him in confusion. "How are you so relaxed?" I decided to answer him honestly.

"I'm not relaxed, I just look that way. But… when I have something particularly troubling on my mind, I do random things to distract myself."

"Like what?"

"I sing, dance, or play piano. I reenact my favorite books, I play with my hair. Just silly, little things that can take my mind off my troubles."

"And they work?" Henderson asked. I nodded. "What should I do?"

"I don't know. I don't know you very well. Clean your guns, twirl them around, I don't know. Just keep it down. Wake me up if anything happens," I said. I moved my weapons onto the floor and lay down on the couch. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy talking to Henderson. He was a good guy if he was being serious, but I seriously was very tired. I had not slept in over 36 hours. Despite the tension in my body and my active mind, I was able to fall asleep very quickly.

~)8(~

_I walked through the halls of the palace. I was dressed in a black, flowing dress. My feet were bare, but I wore a gold anklet. The dress hugged my upper body and wrapped around my neck, holding it up. My biceps were circled with gold jewelry and I wore two matching gold bracelets. My back was exposed, revealing my mark. My hair was mostly down, but some of it was pulled back with two combs. Woven into the pulled back hair was my fine dagger. My eyes were lined with kohl and my lips were lightly colored with gold paint. I normally did not dress up, but today was a special occasion. It was Princess Nefertiri's birthday. She was older than me, but I considered her my dearest friend. Her father, King Seti, had been kind enough to invite me to the celebration. I walked into the throne room and bowed before the throned King and Princess. _

"_My King," I greeted. "My Princess." _

"_Rise, Kamilah," Seti told me. I did. "Welcome, my dear friend." Nefertiri took this as her chance to come down and embrace me. I returned it. _

"_Thank you for coming, Kamilah," Her dark hazel eyes shined as she smiled. I returned the smile. _

"_I would never miss this," I replied. I beckoned my men forward. Yes, I had men. They were here to escort me. King Seti had insisted. Three of the men placed gifts by Nefertiri's throne and the fourth placed a gift by King Seti's throne. My men bowed at the royals before bowing to me and taking their positions as security for the party. I looked back at my friend. She was wearing a beautiful white gown. Her dark hair was down and decorated with gold. She arms were adorned in the best jewelry and her makeup was perfect. She looked amazing. _

"_You look beautiful, Neffy," I told her. She beamed. _

"_You too, Kammie," she replied. _

"_Nefertiri," King Seti called. It was his subtle way of telling her to come back to him. She had other guests to greet. She obeyed and sat back down in her throne. I bowed to the both of them one last time before turning to go into the banquet room. _

"_Kamilah," King Seti called. I turned to face him. "I wish to speak with you later." _

"_Of course, Sire," I replied. I bowed my head and entered the banquet room. I saw bodyguards lining the walls of the room, but they were all in formal attire. There were several elaborately dressed guests in the room already. _

"_Kamilah," I heard from behind me. I slowly turned around and saw King Seti's High Priest, Imhotep. There was a small smile on his face as he greeted me._

"_Hello, Imhotep? Are you well this evening?" I asked. For reasons unknown, I always felt a little uneasy around the man. He just didn't seem like someone I could trust. However, he had never given me a reason not to trust him. _

"_I am. The Gods have smiled upon our Princess and granted her another year with us," he said. I nodded. _

"_Yes they have," I replied. _

"_And you? Are you well?" he asked. _

"_I am. Things have been calm lately."_

"_Why, Kamilah," I heard. Both Imhotep and I turned to see King Seti's mistress, Anck-su-namun, coming to us. "What a surprise. I thought you'd be here, but not as a guest."_

"_I think our Princess insisted I have the night off tonight," I replied. I was also rather uneasy around Anck-su-namun, but like Imhotep, she had not given me a reason not to trust her. But, I knew she and Nefertiri were not exactly friends. I knew for a fact that Nefertiri despised the woman. Although, I had to admit, I didn't like her either, especially when she was around Imhotep. I suspected they had feelings for each other, but I knew they would never act on them if they valued their lives. _

"_Well, let's just hope your men will cope without you for the night." I knew Anck-su-namun was just being funny, but it stung a little to think she did not trust my men. Everyone in the kingdom trusted the Medjai. We were King Seti's bodyguards. Everyone figured that if King Seti trusted us, then they could as well. _

"_Yes, let's." I barely finished my sentence when Pharaoh and his daughter walked into the room. Everyone got down and bowed before them. We rose when we were told to. Both King Seti and Princess Nefertiri made speeches and there was a promise of entertainment later. Everyone applauded and the banquet began. Before anyone else got the chance to greet me, King Seti made his way towards me. _

"_We shall speak outside," he said. I had no choice but to follow. He led me out of the banquet room and towards a balcony. We overlooked the city while he spoke. "I have a favor to ask." _

"_Anything, my King," I replied. _

"_I want you to fight Anck-su-namun later tonight," he said. My eyes widened. I had not expected him to ask that. I knew Anck-su-namun was a rather skilled fighter, but I knew I was much better than her. _

"_May I ask why?" I requested respectfully. _

"_I would like my daughter to train under one of you. I want to evaluate the both of you and decide."_

"_Of course," I replied. _

"_Now, how are you?" King Seti asked me. I knew what he was talking about and answered honestly. _

"_I'm okay, my King. I really am." He nodded and fell silent. I fell into my thoughts. King Seti had been talking about the night my father had died. He was the Chieftain of the Medjai before me. But… he had died 10 years ago to the day. I had only been 11. My older brother, Jabari, had already gone his own way by that time and my father had yet to pick a successor, so the role fell to me. I continued training and when I reached 18, I became the first female Chieftain (well, the first female Medjai really) ever. I was in charge of keeping King Seti safe. My men and I were fierce warriors that had dedicated our lives to keeping the royal family safe. _

"_And have you picked a successor?" King Seti asked me. I nodded. I had yet to inform my men, but I had come to a decision. _

"_Yes, I have. I believe you will approve," I informed Pharaoh. _

"_You have chosen Asim." It was not a question._

"_I have." _

"_And have you told him?" _

"_Not yet. I was planning to in one month," I said. King Seti nodded. He knew I was referring to my birthday next month. _

"_Good," King Seti said. "Shall we return to the banquet?" I nodded and we went back to the celebration. Many people came forward to greet Pharaoh and I went over to one of my men. _

"_How are things?" I asked. Asim cracked a very small smile. _

"_You are not on duty tonight," he informed me. _

"_That does not mean I can't check in," I replied. "How are things?" _

"_All is well, Kamilah," Asim assured me. "Do not worry." _

"_I'm not." Asim glanced at me, a look on his face indicating he did not believe me. His dark eyes captured my amber ones. "Fine, I am. I just want Nefertiri to be safe." _

"_She is, Kamilah," Asim said. "We've got this under control. Have faith in us." I looked at Asim for that. _

"_You believe I don't have faith in you?" Asim's normally neutral expression softened. _

"_I did not mean that," he said. "Kamilah, I-"_

"_My lady, it is time." A servant came up and beckoned for me to follow her. It must've been time for me to fight Anck-su-namun. However, I was upset by the fact that I would not get to continue speaking with Asim. As I followed the servant, I thought about Asim. He had always been a close friend of mine. He was a fine warrior, the best I had ever seen. Many believed him to be the reincarnation of Ra, he was that great. Every time someone died by his hand, everyone would whisper "Death by Ra". _

_Not only was he an amazing warrior, but he was a great man. He was dedicated and cared deeply about the Medjai and his fellow warriors. He had always been someone I could trust and rely on. I could speak with him and not worry about him divulging the information to others. However, in recent years, I had come to care for him more than was perhaps… appropriate. I was not blind to how beautiful he was with his dark eyes and raven hair. But it wasn't just that. He was truly the best man I had ever met. I wished I could tell him, but I couldn't. For unknown reasons, it was my father's last wish that I never marry. And as much as I loved Asim, I loved my father more. I would respect his wish. _

_I shook myself out of my thoughts as I was led into a small chamber. There were new garments laid out for me and the servant girl helped me into them. All my jewelry was removed and my hair was completely down. The servant combed through it and let it hang loose. She removed all of my makeup and handed me a mask. I took it and the pair of Sais and followed the servant back through the palace. The small skirt, or loincloth as it was called, fit well to me, but was thin and short. The bikini top barely covered me, but… if my King wished me to wear it, I would. Once we reached the banquet hall, I heard King Seti announcing the 'entertainment'. I put the mask over my face and held a Sai in each hand. When the doors opened, the first person I saw was Anck-su-namun. _

_She was dressed very similarly to me, only in gold instead of black. She also had a gold mask over her face as well as two Sais in her hands. The two of us stepped towards each other. She was several inches taller than me, but I was quicker. Both of us had lithe, graceful forms. If her skill had improved since the last time we had dueled, it would turn out to be a pretty even match. _

_Anck-su-namun made the first move. She leapt towards me and I dodged to the right. I moved around, swiping at her. Her blade met mine for the first time and she spun around to face me. As the duel progressed, I noticed that her skill had improved, but not as much as I had expected. I forced myself to hold back and allowed her to get the upper hand. Then, when the opportunity presented itself like I had expected it to, I dove down and rolled between Anck-su-namun's legs, kicking them out from under her in the process. I sprang up and pinned sat down on her, pinning her arms down with my feet. I pressed a Sai into her back, careful not to harm her, but enough to let her know I had won. I heard applause and stood up. I helped Anck-su-namun up. _

"_You were holding back, weren't you?" she asked me knowingly. I had to admit, Anck-su-namun was smart. _

"_Yes," I said honestly. "But, you have gotten better. I expect that sometime in the near future you will not be so easy to beat." The woman smiled slightly at the praise, but there was a determined light in her eyes. I knew she wanted to beat me in a fight at least once in our lifetimes. _

"_Now," King Seti started. Everyone fell silent and faced him. "As a gift to my daughter, Princess Nefertiri, I will announce the woman who is to be her fighting instructor." Everyone seemed surprised at that, especially Nefertiri, but she was smiling. "After watching the duel, I have reached my decision. Anck-su-namun shall become Princess Nefertiri's instructor." The hall fell silent in surprise. "I have come to this decision because I do not want to burden Kamilah any farther. She already works so hard as Chieftain of my security and Anck-su-namun has greatly improved. I believe her worthy. Well done, Anck-su-namun." Everyone applauded for her and I gave her a polite smile and nod of the head. I knew Nefertiri was disappointed about the selection, but it was her father's say. She would never defy him. I gave her an encouraging smile before leaving the hall to change back into my evening wear. _

~)8(~

I woke with a start. I bolted up and clutched my chest. I was breathing heavily and caked in sweat. Henderson looked over at me in confusion and slight worry. I noticed that Daniels had returned to the room as well. How long had I been asleep? I began to calm down and both men came to kneel before me. That was when the visions assaulted me. A bright light blinded me and I cried out slightly. Images played in front of me like a film. Memories assaulted my mind and I clutched my head from the pain and intensity of it. I was vaguely aware of Henderson and Daniels calling me and trying to calm me down, but the images kept coming. Then, as soon as they came, they were gone. I noticed my breathing was heavy again and I felt panicked. I felt like I was being compressed. I jumped up and ran past the worried looking Henderson and Daniels. I made it into the bathroom and immediately splashed cold water on my face. What the hell was that? What was that dream? Why did I suddenly know everything about Kamilah? Why did I remember her life as if it was my own? Why had Nefertiri looked exactly like Evie? Why had Jabari, Kamilah's older brother, been like Rick? Why was Asim exactly like Ardeth, personality and looks wise? I shook my head. It was nothing. It was just a weird dream. However, the more I repeated that in my mind, the more I knew it wasn't true. When I looked up and in the mirror, I did not see myself. It looked like me, but it wasn't. It was a woman with kohl lined eyes, gold lips, a black gown, gold jewelry, and beauty that far surpassed mine (not that I really had any). It was best friend of Princess Nefertiri, expert fighter, friend of Asim, Chieftain of the Medjai. I wasn't staring at Ruth O'Connell. I was staring at Kamilah.

* * *

Hey all! I'm back! Here's the update you've all been waiting for! For those of you reading my Doctor Who story, I will definitely try to get the next chapter up within the next week, but no promises. I've been in school a week and I already feel buried in homework. Plus, the school play, _To Kill a Mockingbird_, auditions are this upcoming Tuesday. I feel swamped, but I love staying busy, otherwise all I do is sleep, write (though that's not a bad thing), and eat.

Don't forget to vote in the poll! I've narrowed the choices down to 5 different stories based on votes. Remember, 20 reviews on _New Feelings_.

**Reviews**

NicoleR85: Hey! Glad you like the story!  
ZabuzasGirl: I'm so happy you like the story :)  
GingerSpice-8675309: Hey! Here's your update!  
Gotta Dance 88: Now you get to read more :D  
Lauren Kassidy: I'm glad you like the story and Ruth! To be honest, I was very unsure about this story at first. Ardeth is very hard to write fluff scenes with and he just doesn't seem like the type of character to fall in love quickly or easily, especially in the situation with Imhotep. But, I thought Ruth would be a good match for him. She can kind of bring out a more playful and less serious side in him while he can keep her grounded and focused at times. But... I was still unsure, but I decided to go for it! I'm so glad you like it :) It means a lot to me.

Cheers!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: A Failed Escape**

_Cairo_

There was a knock on the door and someone called my name. It sounded like Ardeth. What was he doing here? He was supposed to be at the museum with Dr. Bey. I looked back at the mirror and I looked like myself. Not Kamilah, myself. I breathed a sigh of relief and went to open the door. However, I wasn't met with Ardeth. I was met with Asim. Then, I blinked and he was gone. Ardeth was standing before me.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"What are you doing here?" I asked ignoring his question.

"I came to make sure everything was okay. I walked in on Henderson and Davies discussing you with worried expressions. They said you had a nightmare," Ardeth said. I noticed he was also looking slightly concerned.

"It wasn't a nightmare. It was just an… intense dream," I told him. I didn't want to tell him that I dreamt about what seemed was an actual event in the past. I didn't want to tell him that I remembered everything from Kamilah's life as if it were my own. No, that wasn't right. I _did_ want to tell him. I just _couldn't_ tell him. I felt as if the time weren't right, as if I weren't supposed to tell him, at least, I wasn't supposed to tell him _right now_.

"Do you wish to talk about it?" I looked up at Ardeth and remembered how I had felt towards Asim in the dream or vision, whatever it was. God, Kamilah had _loved_ Asim. I wasn't anywhere near feeling that way for Ardeth. But… if I weren't careful… I knew it wouldn't be that way for much longer. I was falling for Ardeth Bay… hard and fast. I knew it now. It wasn't just an attraction. It was more… as ridiculous as that was. I had met the man mere days ago. But it didn't seem to matter. I was still falling for the Medjai Chieftain.

"No, not right now," I replied. Ardeth looked a little upset by that but nodded, respecting my decision not to tell him.

"Where are O'Connell, Miss Carnahan, and her brother?" Ardeth asked.

"Well, Evie is currently locked in her bedroom under Rick's orders. He and Jonathan went to go find the Egyptologist. He was there when the chest was opened," I explained. Ardeth nodded. "Speaking of which, I should probably go back."

"No," Ardeth spoke. He grabbed my hand, stopping me from going back. I turned to look at him, confused as to why he didn't want me going back to Henderson and Daniels. "Come to the museum. I can… we can protect you better there." I eyed the warrior. Did he not trust Henderson and Daniels? Did he not trust me? Then again, there was logic in what he said. It was smart to separate us. That way if Imhotep did find us, not all of us would be there for him to take. Plus, I wasn't exactly sure Henderson and Daniels would have my back if Imhotep did come after us. They would have each other's backs, that was for sure. But… I wasn't convinced they would have mine and Evie's.

"Fine," I merely answered. "Let me go give the key to Evie's room to Henderson," I said. Ardeth nodded and I turned and walked away from him. That was when I noticed our hands were still connected. I felt my face heat up as our hands parted and made sure to keep my face out of Ardeth's sight. I got back to the room to see Daniels and Henderson sitting at the table.

"Hey!" Both men looked up and I tossed the key to Henderson.

"What's this?" he asked.

"The key to Evie's room," I answered. "I'm going back to the museum with Ardeth."

"You are?" Henderson asked with raised eyebrows. He looked amused.

"Yes, I am. Dr. Bey thinks he found some more information on Amunet," I lied quickly. Both men seemed to buy it and I turned to leave.

"Hey!" It was Daniels. I turned back. "Are you okay?" I saw the worry in his eyes and Henderson's. I had never seen either man look more genuinely worried aside from when they saw what Imhotep had done to Burns.

"Yeah, it was just a really weird dream," I said. Both men nodded in understanding. "Be careful guys."

"You too," Henderson replied. With that, I turned and rejoined Ardeth in the hall. He and I walked back to the museum in silence. When we got there, Dr. Bey was in the library. I silently made my way over to a specific section. I knew all the books in the library, but I had not read all of them. However, there was something I needed to check. If I was to find what I needed, it would only be in one book. I managed to find it pretty quickly amongst the chaos of the room and went over to a table to read it.

"What's this?" Ardeth asked sitting down next to me. "Is it something to do with Amunet?"

"No, it's something to do with my dream," I answered. I flipped to the right section of the book and skimmed the Ancient Egyptian. After a few pages, I found what I was looking for, but before I got the chance to read anything, O'Connell, Evie, and Jonathan came into the library with Daniels.

"Where's Henderson?" I asked. No one answered and my eyes widened.

"He got Dr. Chamberlain as well," Evie said. My eyes widened even further. Daniels was the only one left.

"Yes, but he'll only be fully regenerated if he gets Daniels," Jonathan added.

"What do we do?" Daniels asked. Everyone started making suggestions, but my mind was elsewhere. I suddenly remembered a detail that didn't make any sense.

"Evie," I started, "You said the Book of Amun-Ra was supposed to be inside the statue of Anubis, right?" She nodded. "So why did they find the Book of the Dead there instead?" Evie's eyes widened and O'Connell looked puzzled.

"That's right, why is that?" he asked. Evie's eyes widened and she started off towards another part of the museum.

"Yes, well, according to legend, the Black Book that the Americans found at Hamunaptra is supposed to bring people back from the Dead," Evie started. I caught where her thoughts were going and gasped. "Until now, it was a notion I was unwilling to believe."

"Believe it, sister," O'Connell said. "That's what brought our buddy back to life."

"Yes, but if the Black Book brings people back, the Golden Book must be able to _send_ them back," I suggested.

"That's the myth," Evie agreed. "Now we just have to find where the Golden Book is hidden." Our group reached the top of the stairs and paused. We all turned, having heard chanting coming from outside. All of us walked to the window to see hundreds of people carrying torches and coming towards the museum. They all seemed to be under a spell and were chanting "Imhotep." As they go closer, I noticed that several of them were also carrying weapons.

"Last but not least, my favorite plague," Jonathan said. "Boils and sores."

"They have become his slaves," Ardeth said. "So it begins. The beginning of the end."

"Not quite yet it hasn't," Evie said. She turned and walked towards the large stone in the hallway. There was Ancient Egyptian writing all over it.

"We have to have faith, Ardeth," I said to him. He looked at me. There was despair in his eyes, like he truly believed it was the end. Then again, he had been raised to believe this Creature would bring the end. He probably never believed it would ever happen and yet here it was happening right before his eyes. "We have to believe we can get through this. We just need to find the Book of Amun-Ra and read from it. That's it. Don't give up now." Ardeth reached up and slowly took my hand. I felt butterflies fill my stomach and heat rush to my face. I looked down, but Ardeth squeezed my hand, coaxing me to look up at him again.

"How do you do it?" he asked. "How do I find faith?"

"It's like when Moses was trying to free the Hebrews," I said referring to the story. "They were going up against all odds, expectations, even Pharaoh. All they had was their faith in God, and yet they prevailed. We can beat him, we just have to believe we can. Without faith, nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible." I smiled slightly at the warrior and it widened as I watched the determined light come back to his eyes. Ardeth opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by Evie.

"According to Bembridge Scholars, the Golden Book of Amun-Ra is located inside the statue of Anubis," she said.

"That's where we found the Black Book," Daniels spoke up.

"Exactly," Evie replied. "

"Well, it looks like the old boys at Bembridge were mistaken," Jonathan said.

"Yes, they mixed the books up, mixed up where they were buried. So, if the Black Book is inside the statue of Anubis then the Golden Book must be inside…" she trailed off as she began to read. The door downstairs broke open and I whipped my head around to see Imhotep's slaves pouring inside. My heart rate jumped up about 20 notches and I felt myself tense. I felt a squeeze to my hand and realized it was Ardeth. We had never let go of each other's hands. I squeezed his hand back, but didn't drop it, he didn't either.

"Come on, Evie, faster," Jonathan urged.

"Patience is a virtue," she replied as she continued reading.

"Yeah, well, my patience is running a little short right now, Evie," I said. "I mean, we currently have Imhotep's slaves coming after us, but hey! I'll be patient." My voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Uh, I think I'll go get the car started," Jonathan said. He ran off, none of us trying or thinking to stop him.

"I've got it!" Evie exclaimed. "The Golden Book of Amun-Ra is at Hamunaptra inside the statue of Horus. Take that Bembridge Scholars!" Evie had a triumphant smile on her face.

"Yeah, well, you can gloat later. Right now, we've got to run," I said. All of us ran outside to find Jonathan in the car with it started. I didn't know how he had made it past the slaves, but at the time, I didn't care. All of us piled in and Beni came outside and saw us. I cursed under my breath as he began calling Imhotep. Evie and O'Connell climbed up front with Jonathan while Davies, Dr. Bey, and Ardeth climbed in the back seat. I ended up having to sit on Ardeth's lap due to the lack of space. I would've been feeling giddy if we weren't on the run from Imhotep and his hypnotized goons.

"You're going to get yours, Beni!" O'Connell yelled to the Hungarian as we drove off. "You hear me? You're going to get yours!"

"Oh, like I've never heard that before!" Beni yelled back. We drove through the streets of Cairo, quickly losing the slaves who had been running after us. However, soon, I almost flew forward as Jonathan slammed down on the brakes. Ardeth wrapped his arm around my waist to keep me down. Again, I would've been feeling giddy and flustered if it weren't for the situation. There were dozens of slaves in front of us. They just stared at us and we stared right back. That was, until O'Connell slammed his foot down on the gas. Jonathan cried out as we flew forward, not having been expecting that. The slaves started running at us as we drove towards them.

"Hang on!" O'Connell yelled. Seconds later, we collided with the people. Several of the people managed to grab onto the car as we drove forward. I stood up along with O'Connell and everyone began pushing and shoving them off the car. I punched one in the face, sending him flying and breaking his nose in the process. I managed to shove another one off, but another one grabbed onto me and began pulling on me.

"Ardeth!" I screamed as I was pulled out of the car. I managed to grab onto side as I fell, but the slave who had pulled me out did as well. Suddenly, he was lifted into the air and thrown to the ground, knocking several other slaves down on his way. My eyes widened as I watched the ordeal and I felt someone grab my biceps.

"Ruth!" It was Ardeth. He pulled me up and I grabbed his shoulders. He pulled me back into the car and steadied me against him. "Are you okay?" I nodded and struggled to catch my breath. I barely registered Ardeth's hand softly stroke the side of my face, right over the scabbed cut. I didn't want the moment to end, but I gave Ardeth a meaningful look and both of us turned and resumed fighting the slaves. I almost laughed when I saw Evie poke one of them in the eye, but didn't and punched another one in the face. I was in the process of shoving another one when I heard a scream. I abruptly turned and saw two of the slaves dragging Daniels out of the car.

"O'Connell! Two!" I tried to grab him, but he was pulled out of the car and rolled on the ground. I heard him start shooting, but I knew it wouldn't last. Soon, Daniels would run out of bullets and Imhotep would get him. Soon, we crashed and seeing we couldn't go anywhere, we all jumped out of the car. Ardeth helped me and we started running. However, we were cornered and had to stop. I pulled one of my knives and brandished it as the slaves began to surround us. They began chanting again and I knew he was coming. His slaves parted like the Red Sea for Imhotep and Beni walked behind him. My eyes widened when I saw him.

"It's the Creature," Dr. Bey breathed. "He's fully regenerated." Imhotep said something and Beni translated.

"Come with me, my princess. It is time to make you mine… forever." I rolled my eyes at Beni's sloppy translation.

"For all eternity, idiot," Evie corrected. Imhotep said something else.

"Take my hand and I will spare your friends," Beni translated. Imhotep held out his hand for Evie and she whispered something to O'Connell. I couldn't quite make out what she said or what he said, but at the time, I didn't care. Evie, having no choice, stepped forward and took his hand.

"No!" O'Connell said. He pulled out his gun and pointed it at Imhotep.

"Don't!" Evie warned as Imhotep pulled her into his side. "He still has to take me to Hamunaptra to perform the ritual." Ardeth had stepped forward and stopped O'Connell from shooting Imhotep.

"She's right," he said. "Live today, fight tomorrow." O'Connell gave in and begrudgingly put his gun away.

"I'll be seeing you again," he told Imhotep darkly. The Creature merely smirked and turned towards me. My blood ran cold.

"_Now, my daughter, it is time for you to live, to grow up, to have the life you deserve. Come with me."_ Beni translated and Imhotep held out his other hand for me. I knew I had no choice and began to walk towards him.

"No!" It wasn't just O'Connell who said it this time, but Ardeth as well. Ardeth jumped forward and tried to pull me behind him, but I resisted.

"Ardeth, stop!" I exclaimed. "Without me, the deal is void. He will kill you if I don't go with him." Ardeth stopped, but didn't release me.

"_We're going to Hamunaptra. You just have to get there in time, kill him, and save us."_ I had switched to Arabic. _"You can do it. I know you can. I'll be okay, I promise."_

"_I can't just let you go,"_ he insisted.

"_You have to!"_ I cried. _"I'll be okay. I promise to stay alive until you can come and 'save the day.'"_ I added humor to the end, but Ardeth was not amused.

"_This is not a joking matter, Ruth,"_ he said. I turned serious.

"_Without faith, nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible."_ I repeated what I had told him earlier. I trusted him to save me, he just had to trust himself. Ardeth tightened his hold on my waist, but released me a second later. I walked towards Imhotep and he pulled me into his side like he had done with Evie. However, Ardeth and I did not break eye contact. Neither of us looked away from each other until we had to. I prayed to every higher power I could think of that Evie and I would get out of this, that O'Connell would come, that Ardeth would come. I prayed that no one else would die, and if anyone did, it would be Imhotep.

* * *

Hey all! Here's the new chapter! I'm really proud of myself that I got it up so quickly! Yay! So, this chapter had a little bit more Ardeth/Ruth scenes in it. This story is a little over half way over. I'm shooting for 12 chapters and around 40K words. And don't worry, I'm definitely planning on writing a sequel based off _The Mummy Returns_. I even have an original story in mind for after that, but I'm not sure if I'll actually write it. Please let me know if you want it or not.

Don't forget to vote in the poll!

**Reviews**

Lauren Kassidy: I'm so glad you understand! That makes me feel like I'm not as insane as I think xD I'm glad you liked the original chapter. Was it good interesting, or bad interesting? And I'm glad you like the whole "Amunet" ordeal. Yeah, the whole "previous life" thing will be bigger in the next story, don't worry. I have some plans for that ;) I'm really happy you like the story and here's your update! I wish you luck on your story (if you're writing one) and I am glad you think Ardeth/Ruth is believable. And just so you know, you saying I inspire you is the best thing anyone has said to me and I almost cried reading it. You're so sweet and that warmed my heart. Thank you so much :)  
GingerSpice-8675309: You're welcome! And here's another update :D Yeah, I can see how the dream is a little weird, but it will be better explained in this story and even more so in the sequel. I can just say now, that no, Kamilah is not Amunet all grown up, but there is a specific reason why he chose Ruth to be Amunet's sacrifice ;)  
NicoleR85: Glad you liked the original chapter! I'm always a little unsure about them (except for the Christmas chapter in my DW story! I felt pretty good about that one xD).

Cheers!


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Sharing Life Experiences **

_Hamunaptra_

My nerves were at their limit. Imhotep had broken our deal and had his slaves try to kill our friends. I had no idea if they were alive or not. I could only hope. Not only that, but I was currently swirling around inside a sandstorm Imhotep had created to get us back to Hamunaptra. Suddenly, I felt myself flying through the air and I cried out. I felt myself land on sand, Evie and Beni not too far away from me. The sand twister disappeared and Imhotep was formed out of it. He began walking and I looked at where we were.

"Oh, my God," Evie breathed. "We're back." Indeed, we were back at Hamunaptra. I ignored the pit settling in my stomach and lifted myself off the desert floor. Suddenly, I looked towards the sky. I heard engines. It sounded like plane engines. Sure enough, there was a small plane flying through the sky.

"O'Connell," Evie breathed. I smiled, realizing she was right. It was O'Connell, and Jonathan, and Winston Havelock from the looks of the plane… and Ardeth. My smile widened as I watched them fly through the sky, but it fell as I heard a rumble. I turned in time to see Imhotep raising a wall of sand. My eyes widened at what he was doing. He shot it towards the plane and within seconds, I heard gunfire. I assumed O'Connell was going nuts with the machine gun. However, it was a wall of sand, bullets would not deter it. Imhotep roared and the wall of sand consumed the plane. My eyes widened.

"Stop it! You'll kill them!" Evie cried. I longed to say the same thing, but I knew that Imhotep would not stop. He wanted our friends dead.

"That's the idea," Beni replied to Evie. She and I exchanged worried and panicked looks. There had to be some way to get Imhotep to stop. I shoved Beni out of the way as Evie and I approached Imhotep. The Creature's eyes were closed in concentration and his arms waving with power. I was drawing a blank mind, but Evie wasn't. She hesitantly reached forward and pulled Imhotep's lips to hers. My eyes widened, as well as his. Evie kept her eyes open and watched as Imhotep lost concentration and the plane reappeared as the wall of sand collapsed. Evie broke the kiss and beamed. I couldn't help my own smile, but again, it soon fell. I heard sputtering and saw smoke. Within seconds, the plane crashed a little ways away from us, but too far for Evie or me to go running. My heart fell to my stomach. What if… no! I would not think like that! I had told Ardeth to have faith; it only made sense that I follow my own advice. Evie and I were forced forward and in no time, we were in the city. Imhotep led us to a part of the city I had never seen before.

"Keep moving!" Beni snarled at us at one point.

"You know, nasty little fellows such as yourself always get their comeuppance," Evie told him. He laughed, but soon stopped.

"They do?" he asked.

"Oh, yes," Evie and I answered at the same time. "Always." Evie and I narrowed our eyes at the weasel in unison before starting to walk again.

"Wait," Beni called. The two of us stopped and looked back at him. Beni came forward and leaned down before me. I cursed as he found the three remaining knives in my boots. He tossed them aside and I inwardly breathed a sigh of relief when he didn't think to check my hair. When Evie, Beni, and I walked down into the chamber, Imhotep was setting up for the ritual. However, a few seconds later, all of us looked up as we heard a gunshot.

"O'Connell," Evie breathed.

"And Ardeth… and Jonathan," I added her brother to keep Evie from suspecting, although, it was probably already too late for that. I knew she already suspected something, just as I suspected there was something between her and O'Connell. I turned when I heard Imhotep say something, but I didn't quite catch it. There was a moan and the wall we were facing began to crack. Pieces chipped and fell away from it as two mummified men broke their way out of the wall. My eyes widened as I realized these were Imhotep's priests.

"The Bembridge Scholars never wrote about this," Evie muttered as she, Beni, and I backed away from the mummies. They approached Imhotep and bowed their heads at him. Imhotep returned the gesture before speaking.

"_Kill them."_ My eyes widened at the order and the two men walked off. _"And wake the others." _

~)8(~

_I opened my eyes and found myself lying on the ground. I looked down at myself. Judging from my attire, this was not another dream where I was Kamilah. However, I didn't know where I was. I was completely surrounded by darkness. I could feel the ground beneath me, but nothing else. _

"_Hello?" I called. There was no answer. "Is anyone there? Where am I? Hello!" Still no answer. I huffed in frustration and crossed my arms, but a few seconds later, I saw a light. Okay, was I dead? The light expanded and from it came a figure. They came closer until they were standing right in front of me. My eyes widened as I stared at a woman with beautiful black hair, olive skin, and kohl lined amber eyes. I was staring at Kamilah. _

"_Ruth O'Connell," she said. She cocked her head and stared at me, as if I were a little bug on her wall. "You are not exactly what I expected." I merely stared at her, not knowing how to take that. _

"_Where am I?" I asked. _

"_You are everywhere and nowhere. It is complicated," Kamilah said. _

"_Yes, well, try your best to explain it to me," I said. My voice was even and void of most emotion. I really was not in the mood for this right now. I was about to be sacrificed to bring back Amunet, my best friend was about to be sacrificed as well, and my brother, Evie's brother, and Ardeth were being hunted down by Imhotep's priests. Yeah, I really was not in the mood. _

"_It is like a dream world," Kamilah said. I nodded in understanding. _

"_And why am I here?" I asked. _

"_We must talk." _

"_Yes, I rather have some questions for you," I said. Kamilah looked amused, but not surprised. _

"_You may ask three," she said. I raised an eyebrow. _

"_Three?" _

"_Three. That is all we have time for. You will wake soon," Kamilah told me. I rolled my eyes. "Choose wisely."_

"_Yeah, no pressure there," I muttered. Kamilah laughed lightly. _

"_I admit that I do not envy you. In fact, I feel a little sorry for you." I raised my eyebrows. _

"_Why?" I asked. _

"_You were not meant to find out in this way. You were not meant to remember… at least, not yet and certainly not at a trying time like this." I was confused by what she said. I didn't even know what was happening, but she was assuming I did. It was kind of irritating, really. _

"_And what exactly was I supposed to remember?" I asked. _

"_My life," Kamilah simply said. I rolled my eyes at the vague, yet clear answer. _

"_And why am I supposed to remember your life?" I asked. "Why is this happening to me? What is going on?" At this, Kamilah looked uncomfortable. _

"_That, I cannot tell you. You must discover the answer to those questions for yourself. Now come." I didn't argue and got up to follow her. The light hovered above us as we walked. I didn't know where we were going, but soon, the darkness disappeared and a scene unfolded in front of us. _

"_What is this?" I asked. _

"_The night my father died," Kamilah said. My eyes widened and I looked at her._

"_Why are you showing me this?" _

"_It was the worst night of my life," she replied. "And I want you to understand me, Ruth." She didn't elaborate any further and the two of us turned to watch the event. There was a battle occurring all around us. It was the Medjai… but I wasn't sure who they were fighting… just an enemy of some kind. In front of us, was Kamilah's father. I watched in amazement as he fought. I had never seen someone fight with such skill and finesse. He was downing every enemy whose blade met his own. That was, until one enemy snuck up on him. It was a strange way for him to go down. Kamilah's father was such an amazing warrior, it was hard to believe he was snuck up on and stabbed in the back, but he was. I watched in sadness as he fell. The rest of the battle seemed to fade out after that and soon, it was over. I caught a look at Kamilah. There were tears in her eyes. I reached out and grabbed her hand before giving it a soft squeeze. Kamilah gave me a small, sad smile and we turned in time to see a screaming, much younger Kamilah kneel before her father. _

"_Kamilah," her father wheezed. _

"_Papa," Kamilah choked out. _

"_It is your responsibility now," he whispered. Young Kamilah's eyes widened. _

"_But the successor-" _

"_I had not chosen," her father cut her off. "But I have now. It is you, my daughter. You will lead the Medjai when you come of age." Young Kamilah had tears pouring down her face, and none of the warriors stepped up to comfort her. _

"_What if I fail?" she whispered. Her father reached up and stroked her face. _

"_Without faith, nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible." I gasped at the familiar words. _

"_I love you, Papa," Kamilah cried softly._

"_I love you, Kamilah. Promise me one thing." _

"_Anything."_

"_You will never get married." Young Kamilah looked confused about why he was asking this of her, but nodded. _

"_Never shall I marry if it be your wish, Papa," she whispered. _

"_My little warrior. My little Kamilah." Those were his last words. Young Kamilah tried in vain to keep from crying, but tears poured down her cheeks and she sobbed loudly. None of the men came to comfort her, but a boy did. He looked a few years older than her, but still young. He pulled her away from her father's body and hugged her tightly. Kamilah clung to the boy. _

"_Who is that?" I whispered. _

"_Asim," Kamilah answered just as softly. However, her voice had not only gotten quieter, but took on a softer tone as well. I looked at her and I could see the love shining in her eyes. _

"_You really loved him, didn't you?" I asked. She smiled. _

"_Just as you love Ardeth Bay." My eyes widened._

"_I am not in love with Ardeth," I denied. _

"_But you do have feelings for him." I didn't deny it and looked back at the scene. _

"_We must go to Pharaoh," one warrior said coming towards the children. Two other Medjai came and picked up their Chieftain's body. They took him and quietly lay him in a cart to be taken to the palace. _

"_But the Princess's birthday…" one warrior tried. _

"_This is a matter of great importance," the first warrior insisted. No other men spoke up and it was decided. The Medjai took their things and marched towards the city in silence. No words were spoken, not even between Asim and Kamilah. The group faded into the distance and the world around us changed. Kamilah and I were now standing inside what looked like a bedroom. My eyes widened as I recognized it. _

"_This was the most trying time in your life, Ruth," Kamilah said. I spun around, trying to make sure what I was seeing was real. I was inside my bedroom at an orphanage. I was 8 years old, O'Connell was 16 when this happened. I had fallen fatally ill. _

"_You're going to be okay, Ruthie," O'Connell assured my eight year old self. _

"_You really think so, Ricky?" young Ruth asked. My eyes welled with tears. I hadn't called my brother that in years. _

"_Positive," Rick replied. He leaned forward and kissed me on the forehead. A few seconds later, the orphanage owner, Gertrude, and a doctor came into the room. Rick stood up and went to talk to the Doctor while Gertrude took his place by my young self. I looked at my young self. I was pale, with sunken eyes and protruding bones. I had been so sick. I had been so healthy beforehand, with weight and muscle on me. But… my body just never fully recovered. It was one of the reasons I was so small, despite being in good physical shape. _

"_How is she?" Rick asked the doctor. The older man stared at my brother sadly. _

"_There is no real easy way to say this, so I'll just say it. There is a very slim chance she will survive this." Rick's eyes filled with frustrated, angry, and sad tears. _

"_How long?" he asked quietly. _

"_She has a week, maybe two." The Doctor did not sugarcoat it at all and Rick almost broke down right there. I could see the sadness, grief, and despair in his eyes. But anger was present also. First, our father had abandoned us, and then our mother had died. He had only been 10, I had been two years old. We had lived at the same orphanage in Cairo for six years now. We only had each other, and now, Rick believed he was going to lose me as well. _

"_How are you feeling, Ruth?" Gertrude asked my young self. _

"_Tired," my young self said with a yawn. _

"_Are you hungry? Thirsty? Is there anything I can get you?" Gertrude asked. _

"_Can I have Peter?" my younger self asked. I smiled. I still had that toy. It was my favorite as a kid. I smiled slightly when Gertrude handed my younger self a much less battered looking doll. I had named him Peter after Peter Pan. That was my favorite story as a child. _

"_Anything else?" Gertrude asked. _

"_No," my younger self said as she hugged Peter. I saw Gertrude's worried look. I had barely eaten anything in a week at this point. _

"_Why this day?" Kamilah surprised me. I looked at her sadly. _

"_The only reason I lived was a lucky pull-through. This was the day I realized I would join my mother wherever she was. This was the day I realized I would most likely die." With those words, the scene faded and the world around us turned black once again. The light still stood around me and Kamilah though. _

"_That was… sad." It was the only word I could come up with, weak may it be. Kamilah though, smiled. _

"_Yes, it was. This is where we part ways, Ruth." My eyes widened. _

"_But I still have so many questions," I protested. _

"_I know. But this will not be the last time we talk," Kamilah assured me. I sighed, not liking it, but nodded. _

"_Until next time, Ruth O'Connell," she said. Kamilah and the light began to fade. _

"_See you later, Kamilah." I caught one last flash of Kamilah's smile before she and the light disappeared completely. The world around me became completely dark and silent and I felt my eyes closing. Within seconds, I was falling. _

~)8(~

I woke up to find myself lying on my back. I furrowed my eyebrows, not quite sure where I was, but quickly remembered. I was at Hamunaptra, about to be sacrificed. I looked around me and tried to sit up, but cursed when I found that my ankles and wrists were shackled. I saw Imhotep out of the corner of my eye. He was still preparing for the ritual.

"_I understand now,"_ I said to him in Ancient Egyptian. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow. _"Why you chose us." _

"_Do you?" _he asked.

"_Evie looks like Nefertiri, Seti's daughter,"_ I said. Imhotep actually looked surprised at what I had said. _"I look like Kamilah, Chieftain of the Medjai."_

"_Nefertiri was a weak child who never appreciated what was given to her,"_ Imhotep said. I scowled. _"Kamilah never trusted me."_

"_For a good reason,"_ I said. _"You and Anck-su-namun were never exactly subtle."_ Imhotep raised an eyebrow.

"_How do you know?" _I didn't answer, but Imhotep didn't need me to. _"Ah, so I was correct, and you remember."_

"_I don't remember anything," _I said. _"I just happen to know all of Kamilah's life." _I was surprised when Imhotep let out a laugh.

"_You do not know,"_ he said. His mouth spread in a malicious smile that made my skin crawl. Imhotep stepped towards me and leaned down right in front of my face. I cursed in my head, not being able to reach the dagger in my hair. _"This means she does not either. Or that Medjai warrior. That will make things much easier." _Who was he talking about? Ardeth and Evie? I shook those thoughts away. That wasn't the pressing issue at the moment.

"_Don't you dare,"_ I snarled. However, there was nothing I could do and both of us knew it. Imhotep chuckled at me and walked away. _"He will come. He will come and he will kill you. You are not making it out of this one alive." _I wasn't sure if I was talking about Ardeth or O'Connell… probably both, but Imhotep laughed at my attempt to threaten him.

"_I will very much enjoy killing you for my dear Amunet."_ That was all he said before he returned to preparing for the ritual. Something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. I looked to my left and nearly gasped. On the two tables next to me were Evie and Anck-su-namun's corpse. Then, I looked to my right. I nearly screamed. On the table to my right was the mummified corpse of an infant. It was the body of Amunet.

* * *

Hey all! Here's a new chapter! I'm so excited! I'm finally getting to the end of this story (although there are four chapters left after this). There was no Ardeth in this really, sorry :( But, I needed a to somehow fit in the second dream with Kamilah and in the movie, you don't find out how Evie passed out before being shackled to the table. I saw an opportunity and I took it! Thank you all for your continued support! I really appreciate it.

Don't forget to vote in the poll.

**Reviews**

NicoleR85: Glad you liked it :)  
Lauren Kassidy: Okay, a good interesting, that makes me feel better. Phew! A lot of the Kamilah situation is being explained in this story, but it will go into more depth in the sequel. Unfortunately though, we won't find out what Ardeth thinks about the whole ordeal until in the sequel. Sorry about the lack of Ardeth/Ruth moments in this chapter. There probably won't be many in the next chapter either :( I'm glad you think Ardeth isn't OOC. I always worry about that. What about the other characters? I would love to look at your story! I see it's on your profile so I'll take a look at it and PM you! Also, after looking at your stories, I see you have a Jerome/OC HoA fanfic. I also have one in the works ;) If you wish to hear about it, I'll PM you. Keep at the writing girl and thanks for all your support :) It really means a lot.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Mummies and Insecurities**

_Hamunaptra_

I averted my eyes from the sight of Amunet's body. It was way too scary and painful to look at. Dead bodies in general were never fun to look at, but an infant… It didn't matter whose child it was, a dead child was something I could not handle. I heard a squeak and looked over to see Evie awake with a rat on her stomach. I wrinkled my nose slightly and Evie leaned over, tipping the rodent off of her stomach. However, she rolled right next to the body of Anck-su-namun and screamed.

"Evie!" I exclaimed. "Evie, calm down!" After a few more seconds, she did, but her breathing was still heavy. I heard moans and screeches as some of Imhotep's priests began to surround us. My eyes widened, the ritual was starting. I turned and saw Imhotep coming towards us, the Book of the Dead in his hand. He opened it and slipped the key into his robes.

"O'Connell!" Evie suddenly cried. I winced at the sudden outburst, but calling for help wasn't such a bad idea. If they were nearby, they would definitely hear us.

"Ardeth!" I yelled.

"Jonathan!"

"Rick! Ardeth!" Evie and I struggled against our shackles, but we couldn't get out. However, my wrists were becoming slippery with sweat and I got an idea. The shackles weren't exactly tight around my wrists. I began tugging and pulling, trying to get my hands out of my metal bonds. Imhotep's priests began to bow and chant as Imhotep read from the book. There was a pool next to us and Evie and I watched as something… a soul it seemed rose from the pool and went into Anck-su-namun's body. The woman jumped awake with screeches and high pitched moans. Anck-su-namun turned and looked at me and Evie with empty eye sockets. Neither of us could help it. We screamed. I struggled harder against my shackles as Imhotep came over to Evie.

"_With your death, Anck-su-namun shall live. And I shall be invincible!"_ He raised the blade and prepared to bring it down into Evie's body.

"No!" I cried as Evie screamed. With one final wrench, I ripped my hands from the shackles and knocked over Imhotep. I ignored the sting of my wrists, as they were bare and bloody from being ripped from the shackles.

"I've found it, Evie! I've found it!" I heard. I looked up and saw Jonathan at the top of the chamber stairs. The Book of Amun-Ra was in his hands.

"_The Book of Amun-Ra,"_ Imhotep breathed. I looked at him. I could tell he was slightly unnerved by the fact that Jonathan had found the book.

"Shut up and get us off here, Jonathan!" Evie yelled.

"Open the book and read from it!" I yelled up at him as I tore off my boots. I managed to wriggle my feet out of the shackles as well, mutilating my ankles in the process. Now, I was barefoot in Hamunaptra. "That's the only way to kill him!"

"You have to open the book and find the inscription!" Evie added.

"I can't open it!" Jonathan exclaimed. "We need the key!"

"It's inside his robes!" she called back. Imhotep started making his way towards Jonathan. I jumped off the table, careful to avoid Amunet's body and jumped outside the circle of still bowing and chanting priests. I looked up and saw O'Connell standing a few feet in front of me. He tossed me a sword and I caught it. There was a fight coming. He and I both knew it. Foregoing my socks, I slipped my boots back on and left them unlaced. I had no time to put them on properly, but I knew I needed them. O'Connell leapt forward and broke the chains to Evie's shackles with his sword. Suddenly, the priests stood up and I began slashing at them.

I sliced one of them in half through the middle before cutting off his head. I whacked another one in the head, sending it flying before stabbing the body. I dove underneath one of them and stabbed it from behind in a move very similar to what I had used on Ardeth and what Kamilah had used on Anck-su-namun. I cut two more of them in half before beheading another. Between me and O'Connell, we managed to finish them off pretty quickly.

"Mummies," O'Connell muttered. I nodded in agreement. I felt something grab my ankle and shrieked in pain and surprise. I tumbled to the ground at the same time as O'Connell. I had managed to hold onto my sword, but I had two mummies holding onto me whereas O'Connell only had one. One of them managed to snatch the sword from my hand and attempted to bring it down on me. However, I rolled to the side and kicked the mummy holding my foot away. Unfortunately, he took my shoe with him. I cursed, but didn't go after it and focused on getting my sword back. Despite being dead, the priest was rather quick. He stabbed and swiped at me and I dodged and ran around. At one point, he tried to stab me. I sidestepped and grabbed the hilt of the sword before bringing it back around to slice the priest through the chest. By this time, O'Connell had managed to fight off the mummies that held him down. His sword was back in his hand and the two of us resumed fighting the priests. I cut through Evie's bonds and O'Connell helped her off the table when we had finished off the priests again. But, luck was not on our side and there was a rumble. The three of us froze as a door opened and ten Egyptian mummy warriors came out.

"Oh, yeah. This just keeps getting better and better," O'Connell remarked. He and I raised our swords, preparing for another fight.

"Oh, do something, Jonathan," Evie told him.

"Me?"

"You have the book in your hands," I told him. "Read the inscription on the cover and then you will be able to command them."

"You have got to be joking!" Jonathan protested.

"Just do it, Jonathan!" I cried. Jonathan ran behind a pillar to keep safe as he began reading the cover again. Suddenly, Evie screamed and I whirled around to see Anck-su-namun coming at her with a blade. Evie ran away and I wanted to go help her, but the warriors began to attack. O'Connell screamed at them and they screamed back. O'Connell took one look at them before shaking his head.

"Uh-uh," he muttered. I couldn't agree more. The two of us turned on our heels and ran through the chamber, the warriors chasing after us. O'Connell wrapped his arm around my waist and cut a rope. I held on tight to him as we were lifted into the air. However, O'Connell did not count on the landing being so rough. He practically dropped me, resulting in me hitting my head. My world turned black.

~)8(~

"_Ruth… Ruth… Ruth!" I woke with a start and abruptly sat up. "Well it's about time! Now, get up! You have a fight to win. Or are you just going to sit there and leave me to die?" My eyes widened as I stared up at O'Connell. He would… never say something like that to me. I would never leave him to die. What was he talking about?_

"_So that's it then?" he asked. He was glaring at me and my eyes widened at the intensity behind it. The anger, the hate, the hurt… "You're just going to leave me to die? After all I've done for you? I could've abandoned you! I could've left you! I could've given up on you when you were sick!" I flinched. "You aren't my sister anymore. I don't know you." My eyes widened at his words, but I didn't get the chance to say anything as O'Connell's face changed. His face morphed into Evie's. _

"_Come on, Ruth! You can do it! You can get up. All you have to do is open your eyes," she said. She was being supportive and I tried. I tried so hard, but I couldn't do it. Evie's face fell in disappointment and she morphed into Jonathan. _

"_I never thought you'd be the type to give up, Ruth," he said to me. "You're so strong. Don't stop now. Get up, Ruth!" His face morphed into Seti's. _

"_Kamilah, you have failed me. You have failed your men, your duty as a Chieftain, and your father. You are a disgrace on this entire kingdom, and you shall be exiled, never to return. Unless, you get up. Get up, Kamilah! Get up!" he ordered. His face changed into Nefertiri's. _

"_Come on, Kammie. I know you can do it. You can always do it. You're the best fighter I know. Fight it! Open your eyes and get up! Don't leave your family to die!" Tears were pouring down my cheeks at this point, but I did nothing to stop them. Nefertiri's face changed into Anck-su-namun's. _

"_Weak. You are weak and I have beaten you. The great Kamilah. Hah! Look at you, pathetic. You can't even get up, let alone beat me in a fight. I am going to kill your friend, and it will be all your fault. Just because you couldn't get up." I flinched at the mention of Evie and closed my eyes as Anck-su-namun changed. It was Beni. _

"_Oh, Two. You never were as strong as your brother. As hard as you tried, you were never good enough. You will never be good enough. You can't get up." He smiled a nasty smile and I shuffled away from him. He changed into Kamilah's father. _

"_You let me die and now you are doing the same thing to your brother. I knew I never should've left you as the successor. You're a disgrace of a Medjai. I am ashamed of you. Get up, Kamilah! Get up! Are you as weak as everyone says, or can you get up and save your loved ones? Get up!" His face changed into my own father's. _

"_This is why I left, you know. You were weak even as a child. I couldn't believe you were my daughter, it seemed like a cruel joke. You're why I left, Ruth. You're weak, pathetic. You can't even save your own brother." His face changed into Kamilah's. She was scowling down at me. _

"_Why you? Why did it have to be you? You can't get up, you can't save your brother... you disgust me. Why you? Why you?" She changed into Imhotep. He smirked cruelly down at me. _

"_Pathetic, little girl. You are nothing like Kamilah. She would get up. She would save her family. The worst part is, you can get up, you just won't." He smirked down at me. "You're not willing to get up. You won't save your own brother. What makes you any better than me?" I screamed in anguish at that. I had had enough. Why was this happening? I cried softly as Imhotep laughed. More laughter joined in and soon, mocking laughter was surrounding me. People were pointing, scowling, and laughing. It made the tears stream down my face even faster and my sobs become louder. What was happening? _

"_Ruth…" It was barely a whisper, but everyone heard it and fell silent. "Ruth…" With that one, everyone disappeared. A figure walked towards me and I cowered away from it, afraid of what abuse they had to throw at me. I knew I was a failure, I knew I was weak. I didn't need anyone else yelling at me about it. _

"_Ruth." A hand touched my shoulder and though I wanted to flinch away, I didn't. The touch was familiar… warm… comforting. I lifted my head out of my knees and looked up. Ardeth was standing there. "Going to stay down there all day?" There was an innocent, teasing tone to his voice, but I didn't find it amusing. _

"_I tried, Ardeth," I sobbed. "I can't get up!" The hit to my head had knocked me out and I was really trying to wake up. I really was. I just couldn't. Ardeth held out a hand for me and I took it. He slowly helped me stand and looked at me sincerely. _

"_Try again," he said. I nodded and closed my eyes, but nothing happened. _

"_I can't," I sighed. "I really am weak. I always have been. I always will be." I hung my head and Ardeth's expression grew sad. He put his fingers under my chin and lifted my face. He traced the cut on my cheek, the one he had given me. His touch was so light I almost didn't feel it. _

"_Without faith, nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible," he said softly. My eyes widened as he repeated my advice to him. He smiled softly at me and nodded. Once again, I closed my eyes. The last thing I felt was Ardeth squeezing my hand._

~)8(~

"Hell of a time to take a nap!" That was O'Connell. I opened my eyes and sat up quickly, ignoring the rush to my head.

"How long was I out?" I asked.

"About thirty seconds." My eyes widened. That whole dream had taken place over thirty seconds? I didn't have time to dwell on it as O'Connell grabbed my hand and dragged me behind him. However, once we got into the hallway, we were met with some more mummy warriors. O'Connell and I abruptly turned and ran the other direction, the mummies on our tail. We ran back through the chamber and turned to fight the mummies, but they weren't there. O'Connell and I stared in confusion, until we heard something land behind us. There were four of the mummies behind us. O'Connell and I immediately started fighting them.

I began fighting two at once and was doing surprisingly well for only having one sword. They managed to scratch me a couple times, but nothing that was even big enough to scar. I managed to behead one of them and threw the head across the room before resuming fighting the other one. Pretty soon, I managed to cut him in half and dump him in the pool.

"Hurry up, Jonathan!" I yelled through the chamber. What was taking him so long? I raised my sword to another mummy and began fighting him. However, due to my only having one shoe and it being unlaced, I tripped and fell. The sword flew out of my hand and my eyes widened as the warrior came towards me. He had his khopesh raised, ready to strike. I screamed as he brought it down upon me, but it never made contact. I opened my eyes slightly and saw that the warrior had stopped. So had all the other warriors. I heard Imhotep yell orders at them, but they didn't move and looked to Jonathan for orders. I shuffled away and retrieved my sword. Jonathan ordered the warriors to go after Anck-su-namun and in no time, she was dead once again. I stole a glance at Imhotep. Oh, Lord, he was _not_ happy. I took time to catch my breath and O'Connell went to attack Imhotep. I watched as O'Connell sliced off Imhotep's arm, making his robes fall off of him. I saw my opportunity and went over to them, looking for the key. I retrieved it as Imhotep reattached his arm and started going after O'Connell.

"I've got the key, Evie!" I called to her. Jonathan grabbed the Book of Amun-Ra and I unlocked it. Evie ran over to us and called over to O'Connell.

"Keep him busy!" O'Connell was thrown across the room and I winced.

"I'll go help him," I muttered. I ran off towards Imhotep, removing the dagger from my hair. I felt my thick hair fall out of its bun, but ignored it. I jumped onto Imhotep's back and drove the dagger into his shoulder. I removed it and stabbed him again. It only made the Creature mad. He threw me off of him and I landed on the ground hard. Imhotep went over to O'Connell and lifted him up. Imhotep was getting ready to consume O'Connell when Evie began to read. I smiled as Imhotep stopped and looked over at her in shock. Evie finished the inscription and I heard a whip and whinny of a horse. I turned and saw a ghostly carriage charge towards Imhotep. It passed through him, pulling something out of it and riding away with it. I couldn't tell what it was, but it must've been important because Imhotep was running after the carriage. I stood up and grabbed O'Connell's fallen sword as he struggled to regain his breath from when Imhotep was choking him. I expected Imhotep to keel over, but he merely turned and started coming towards us again.

"I thought you said it was going to kill him!" O'Connell cried. Evie didn't reply and Imhotep came towards me. I did what was natural. I stepped forward and drove the sword through his gut. Imhotep's eyes widened and he groaned. I felt warm liquid on my hands and knew it was blood.

"He's mortal," Evie finally said. My eyes widened in understanding and I watched as Imhotep stumbled backwards, his hands over his wounds. He fell back into the pool and the souls consumed him. O'Connell, Evie, Jonathan, and I watched as Imhotep sank down, reverting back to his decomposing body. With one final cry, he was gone. The Creature was dead.

* * *

Hey all! Two chapters in one night? Yes, yes, yes! Isn't it awesome? Here's another chapter that has some original content to it. Three chapters to go and then this story will be over :( But then we have the sequel :) Anyway, the last chapters will be mostly original content, just to let you all know. It will answer some unanswered questions and resolve some unresolved things. Now, before any of you say the dream in this chapter was weird, I know it was. There is reasoning behind it at the end of this story though, so just bare with me.

Don't forget to vote in the poll.

No reviews since I posted Chapter 8 like... two hours ago? That sounds about right.

Cheers!


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Apologies and Understandings**

_Hamunaptra_

There was a rumble and I felt sand fall down on us. I looked up and saw the city was starting to close down. Walls were closing and doors were sealing. My eyes widened.

"Time to go," O'Connell muttered. He grabbed Evie's hand and all of us began running. However, Jonathan tripped at one point and dropped the Book of Amun-Ra, making Evie try and go back for it. I tugged her on and the four of us continued running through the collapsing city. Sand poured into the city as we ran and we tried our best to avoid it, but we were literally having sand dumped on us. We ducked under a closing door and I barely registered the room we were in. It was a large treasure chamber.

"Couldn't we just-" Jonathan started as he paused and looked at the treasure. Evie ran back for him and grabbed his hand.

"No, Jonathan!" she cried. The four of us began running again.

"O'Connell! Two!" we heard. The four of us had made it out of the chamber and turned back to see Beni running towards us. He crawled under the lowering ceiling, making his way towards us. However, Beni was too late and the door was sealed.

"Goodbye, Beni," O'Connell and I said at the same time. O'Connell, Evie, Jonathan, and I started running again. The throbbing in my wrists and ankles was getting worse. I think my arm wound had reopened, and running with one boot on was in no way comfortable. Soon, we made it out of the city, but Hamunaptra was collapsing in on itself. Columns and stone everywhere was falling down, threatening to flatten us. The sand was shifting, making it hard to run. Not to mention it was very hot on my bare foot. However, we never stopped running. All of us ran like our lives depended on it, because they did. And once we were a safe distance away from the city, we watched as if fell and destroyed itself. Sand and rock flew and fell everywhere, causing a huge disaster scene. When it was all over, a deafening silence filled the air. That was, until Jonathan screamed. The rest of us cried out as well and turned to see what had startled Jonathan. I almost laughed. It was Ardeth! He was alive! I beamed upon seeing him, my feelings for him having increased again after the weird dream I had when I was knocked out. I actually had a theory about it. I had always been insecure, just like most people were. Being around O'Connell and men all my life, I never felt good enough because they were always stronger, faster, and better than me. The dream was my subconscious's way of pep talking me into waking up.

"You have earned the respect and the gratitude of me and my people," Ardeth told us with a smile. He was atop a camel and we looked up at him.

"Yes, well, it was nothing. It was nothing," Jonathan said. I rolled my eyes fondly at the man.

"May Allah smile upon you always," Ardeth continued. He kissed his hand and touched his forehead. I smiled at the blessing.

"And… yourself," Jonathan replied. Ardeth looked at me. I expected him to say something, no, I _wanted_ him to say something, but he merely nodded with a small smile and rode off on his camel. I tried my best to hide my disappointment at that. I had really been hoping for a little more than that. Then again, I had no right to expect anything else from the warrior.

"He's just… leaving us," Jonathan moaned. I rolled my eyes and sat down. I ripped off the sleeves of my shirt and made a makeshift sock/shoe thing for myself. I rolled my eyes again as Jonathan laughed humorlessly.

"Well, I guess we go home empty-handed… again," he complained.

"I wouldn't say that," O'Connell said. I looked over to see him and Evie gazing at each other. I smiled as what I knew would happen… happened. The two kissed. I smiled even wider, very happy for them and Jonathan rolled his eyes. My brother and my best friend merely continued kissing.

"Hey, why is he coming back?" I heard Jonathan say. I looked up in confusion, only to see Ardeth riding back towards us. I stood up as he got down from his camel.

"Forget something?" I asked in amusement. I hadn't the foggiest why he had come back, but that didn't mean I couldn't tease him. Ardeth didn't say anything and came towards me. I felt my eyes widen as his face drew closer to him. A second later, his lips met mine softly. I closed my eyes, relishing in the moment. I couldn't have ever hoped this would happen, but I certainly wasn't going to stop it now that it was. I kissed the man back and stood on my toes to reach him better. Ardeth brought his hands to my face and softly caressed my cheeks, one of his thumbs lightly running over my cut. A few seconds later, we pulled away. I smiled and leaned my forehead against Ardeth's.

"Ruth Mable O'Connell!" Ardeth and I jumped away from each other, but I giggled.

"Uh-oh, Rick pulled out the middle name. I must be in trouble," I joked. Jonathan outright laughed and Evie giggled behind a hand. O'Connell did not find this amusing. Ardeth stepped forward, probably to say something to my brother, but I put a hand on his chest and stopped him.

"Don't. You're not the one in trouble," I told him. However, the glare O'Connell was sending to Ardeth suggested otherwise. _"Leave it. I'll deal with Rick."_ I had switched to Arabic.

"_Do you live in Cairo?" _Ardeth asked. I nodded. _"Then we shall meet again."_

"_I look forward to it,"_ I replied. Ardeth cracked a small smile, squeezed my hand, and mounted his camel before riding away again. I watched him as he went before turning back to companions. Evie was beaming, Jonathan was smirking, and O'Connell looked like he was about to choke in surprise or anger… possibly both.

"Wha-? Why? What?" I winced as O'Connell's voice rose to a yell.

"Go, Ruth!" Jonathan cut him off. I laughed out loud.

"But-"

"Oh, Rick, let it go," Evie told O'Connell. I smiled as he immediately obeyed. God, he had it bad for her. Then again, I wasn't any better when it came to Ardeth. O'Connell shot me a look, promising that we would talk about this later before getting onto a camel with Evie. Jonathan mounted one as well. I begrudgingly climbed onto a camel as there were no horses and the four of us rode away from the destroyed Hamunaptra.

~)8(~

_Cairo_

I walked around my small home. Two days had passed since the whole Hamunaptra ordeal and after sleeping for a _very_ long time, I got to work cleaning up. I had made a rather big mess when I was trying to find the book I had read about Amunet in. I had gotten to work early this morning and was finally finishing mid-afternoon. For the first time in my life, I wished I didn't have so many books. Now, it was time for me to do real work for my real job. I sat down at my desk and pulled out the letters between the Greek lovers. I only had one left.

_My dear Cyrus,_

_ It has been many moons since we have seen each other. I am beginning to fear I shall never see you again. My father has become ever-so strict about where I go, when, and with whom. I only wish he could understand what I feel… what we feel. _

_ I write with news, Cyrus. I have a secret and I fear I will not be able to keep it from my father much longer. He is constantly checking on me, and I grow bigger by day. I am with child, Cyrus. Your child. _

_ I only wish I could tell you in person, but I fear I will never be able to truly see you again. It has been 5 months now; I knew I could not wait any longer to tell you. I apologize, my love. I understand if you do not want the child, and I will not stop you if you wish to cut off all contact. But know that I will always love you. Always. _

_Love, _

_Melitta_

I put down my pen and wiped my eyes. The letters had grown increasingly passionate and this one was almost heart-breaking for me to read. It was so beautiful and sad at the same time. These two people who loved each other so much were being kept apart. It wasn't fair in any way. Then again, the same thing could be said about Anck-su-namun and Imhotep… But as far as I could tell, Melitta wasn't a mistress to anyone, let alone a king. Her father had just disapproved of the relationship. That changed things a little bit. I attached the translation to the letter and slipped them into the large envelope the Greek woman had them in when she gave them to me. I checked the clock on the other side of the room. It was 3:30. I smiled and went to get ready. I knew exactly where she would be right now. I quickly braided my hair as I had lost my dagger at Hamunaptra. I stuffed a gun down the back of my pants as a precaution before grabbing the envelope and leaving my home. I didn't have a car, but I enjoyed walking through the city. I entered the small restaurant and found the woman I was looking for. She was outside at a table reading a book. I quietly approached her and sat down. She looked up and her face lit up.

"Miss O'Connell!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I am here to give you these," I replied with a smile. I handed the envelope to her and her eyes widened.

"You finished? Already?" she asked. I nodded.

"I would've finished them earlier, but I've had a hectic couple of days," I told her. That was certainly an understatement, but Sophia didn't need to know that. Sophia merely nodded, but her focus was on the letters. She carefully sifted through them, looking at the translations.

"Thank you," she breathed. I smiled and nodded.

"You're welcome." Sophia reached into her bag and I saw her pull out a wallet. I quickly stopped her. "You don't have to do that."

"I really do," Sophia replied. She flicked her dirty blonde hair out of her face and continued trying to give me money.

"No, you really don't." I put my hand on hers. "Keep the money. I wanted to help, there's no need to pay me. Spend it on a vacation, or a trip to go see family. Spend it on a dress or necklace. I don't need it. You do not need to pay me for this job. It was a joy to be able to read and translate the letters. They're amazing," I told her.

"Really?" I nodded. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." With that, I stood up and made to leave the restaurant.

"Wait!" I turned back to Sophia. "What happened to your hands?" I froze and looked down at it. My scabbed wrists had been showing. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Sophia. Don't worry about me," I assured her. I seriously didn't want to tell her about Hamunaptra, but I wasn't stupid. I knew what she would assume and I wasn't willing to lie and tell her it was domestic abuse.

"It looks like you were tied up," she gasped. I looked around uncomfortably. "What happened?"

"It doesn't matter," I said. "It's over. He's never going to bother me again." I wasn't exactly lying to her. Imhotep wasn't ever going to bother me again. But… I was letting her think what she wanted.

"You promise?" Sophia asked. I smiled and nodded.

"He's been taken care of," I heard. I whirled around in surprise and saw O'Connell standing behind me.

"Dear God, Rick. You scared me," I breathed. "Sophia, this is my brother Rick. Rick, this is Sophia." The two shook hands.

"Nice to meet you, Rick," Sophia greeted. "Your sister has been a great help to me and my family. She translated some letters for us."

"Really?" O'Connell asked looking at me. He didn't know I did private jobs. To be honest, I didn't do them all that often. I was often kept busy with my professional jobs.

"Yes," Sophia answered.

"We'll leave you alone, Sophia. It was nice to see you again. Contact me if you need anything," I told her.

"I will. And Ruth!" O'Connell and I turned back to her. "Thank you so much." I smiled and nodded before walking out of the restaurant with my brother.

"I didn't know you did private jobs," O'Connell remarked.

"Rarely ever," I replied. "But I wanted to help her out."

"So what have you been up to these past two days?" O'Connell asked. I told him about how I had gone home and slept before cleaning up. His past two days had been just as uneventful. He had been on his way to my place from Evie's when he saw me in the restaurant with Sophia.

"I figured you could use some help cleaning up," O'Connell told me.

"I actually got it all done," I replied. "Thanks though." Suddenly, I remembered the argument we had and how everything I had said to him was completely untrue and unfair. "Hey, about our fight-"

"It's okay, Ruthie," O'Connell cut me off.

"No, Ricky, it's not." I didn't even realize I had called O'Connell my old nickname for him. "I said you always took the easy way out. I said you you've always done what's best for you. It wasn't true. If it were, I would be dead for sure." O'Connell's eyes widened.

"What the hell do you mean?"

"If you had done what was best for you, I would be dead," I repeated. "You stayed with me, even when you were old enough to leave, you stayed for me. When I sick, you were always with me. I don't think I would've pulled through if you weren't by my side the entire time." O'Connell had a look on his face that suggested he didn't know how to respond to that. "Thank you, Rick."

"Anything for you, Ruth," O'Connell said. My eyes widened at that and I realized for the first time how much my brother cared about me. I mean, I always knew he cared about me, but it was always nice to hear something like that come from him. I stepped forward and hugged my brother.

"I love you, Rick," I said into his chest. He hugged me back and I felt him kiss the top of my head.

"I love you too, Ruth." We hugged for a few more seconds before letting go and walking the rest of the way back to my place in silence.

"Okay, what is it?" I asked once we got there. "I know you, Rick. There's another reason you were looking for me." O'Connell turned serious once I turned talking.

"This… Medjai warrior guy-"

"Ardeth," I corrected. O'Connell looked like he was about to scowl, but managed to hold it back. It was only then I realized he was packing. Then again, when wasn't O'Connell carrying some type of weapon on him? I was the same way.

"Yes," O'Connell muttered. "Are you two…?" O'Connell trailed off and I got what he was asking. Were Ardeth and I together? I honestly didn't know. He had kissed me, but I hadn't seen him since, despite him saying we would meet again. Then again, he could've meant in a couple days, couple weeks, couple months, or couple years. I had no way of knowing. I opened my mouth to answer my brother when there was a knock on my front door. I shot my brother an apologetic look before going to answer it. I didn't know who to expect, but it wasn't who was there.

"Ardeth!" I exclaimed in surprise. I really _hadn't_ expected him to be the one on the other side of my door, but I certainly had hoped he was.

"Hello, Ruth," he greeted. "May I come in?" He was being incredibly polite. I mean, Ardeth was always polite, but he was being more so right now. I soon realized why. O'Connell was standing a few feet away from me.

"Ruth," O'Connell started. I looked back at him. "Are you happy?" I didn't hesitate.

"Yes." O'Connell didn't look surprised, but disappointed at the same time. He nodded and moved to leave my home. He shared a nod with Ardeth and disappeared, he was probably heading back to Evie's place. I stepped aside and Ardeth strode into my home.

"It is very nice," he commented about my place. He was looking around, specifically at some of the weapons I had on the walls.

"Thanks. This is place I stay at when I'm here in Egypt," I said.

"You live somewhere else?" Ardeth asked. I winced almost imperceptibly. I didn't exactly want to tell Ardeth about the fact that I didn't live in Cairo permanently.

"Well, normally I spend six months out of the year here and the other six months in London," I told him.

"Normally?" Ardeth asked catching the word and what I had been implying. I trace of emotion came across his face. It looked like worry or uncertainty.

"Yes," I answered. I made to explain. "However, I will be in Cairo for another 21 months. I will have to go back to London after that though, for six months tops. I've actually been thinking about moving permanently to Cairo."

"You have?" He looked hopeful and I laughed lightly.

"Yes, I have," I assured him. Ardeth was not getting rid of me that easily. I smiled at the man and he gave me a small smile in return. I was happy with that, I knew Ardeth didn't smile all that often. I felt his hand take mine before he took my other one. He ever-so-slowly drew closer and closer. It seemed like a lifetime (a good lifetime) had passed before his lips met mine. It was incredibly soft and gentle. I was absolutely perfect and it made me go weak in the knees. I stood on my toes to reach the tall man better and his hands (very hesitantly) touched the middle of my back, but after a couple seconds, he seemed surer of himself. I smiled slightly into his kiss thinking about the wonderful 21 months ahead. I thought about the 21 months I had to spend with Ardeth Bay. I couldn't be happier.

* * *

Hey all! Here's the new chapter! Only two left after this :( But then we'll get the sequel. More Ardeth/Ruth moments in this chapter, even some Rick/Ruth moments. Let me know what you all think :)

Don't forget to vote in the poll on my profile. I know am offering the same thing for this story as well. 20 reviews and I'll give you a sneak peak of one of my future stories. The poll is on my profile.

**Reviews**

Lauren Kassidy: Your story is so good so far! I like it! And yeah, if you want to hear about HoA, let me know and I'll PM you. I'm not sure if I actually want to write it or not... I'm glad you liked Rick's line xD Brendan Fraser is literally one of my favorite actors, I love him so much. So, the dream is explained in the beginning of this chapter, but very briefly. I didn't feel the need to go into depth about the reason for it occurring. If there is still confusion I might add it in one of the next two chapters. Anyway, here's your update! I'm glad you like the story :)  
NicoleR85: Glad you like it! Here's your update :)  
dutchangel1979: Hey! Welcome to the story! I'm glad you like it :)


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: More Visions**

_1 Week Later _

_I stared down at myself. I was still myself. That meant this was either another one of Kamilah's memories or this was something completely new. I sighed. This was starting to get old really fast and I still had no idea how I was related to Kamilah besides the fact that I looked like her. It had been almost a week and a half and I still had no idea. I longed to ask the Egyptian woman, but I knew she wouldn't give me an answer. _

_The scene in front of me was pretty simple. It was the middle of a Medjai camp. I knew it because I could see Asim nearby. Soon, Kamilah approached him and they began talking. I continued looking around. It looked like the warriors were in the middle of a meal. Fires were all over the place and men were eating and speaking with each other. _

_I was confused. If this wasn't a significant event, then why the hell was I seeing this? There was no reason for me to be shown something that didn't really… clue me to how Kamilah and I were connected. I heard the rush of a river and looked over to my left. The Nile was barely in sight. I scowled slightly, but I was so far away from it. I was safe. _

_But still… what was I doing here? There was no reason for me to be shown this. I already knew everything that happened in Kamilah's life, just as she knew everything that happened in mine. However, I didn't remember this. This was something she wanted me to see in person. A few seconds later, I found out why. _

_Bandits burst out of the shadows and attacked. The Medjai were un-expecting, but prepared. All of them still had their weapons on, just like O'Connell, Ardeth, and I always carried weapons, no matter where we were. The Bandits soon began to overpower the Medjai due to their surprise attack. But after minutes and minutes of battling, the Medjai began to prevail. I began to look around for Kamilah, but I couldn't find her. I began to panic. Was this where it ended for her? My eyes widened at the thought and I began searching faster. _

_I soon found her fighting someone who looked like the Bandit leader. Judging from Kamilah's appearance, she wasn't of age yet, but very close. She was probably 17. She wasn't quite as good at combat as I knew her to be, but she was still very good. She was holding her own against the much larger and stronger man. _

_Kamilah and the Bandit fought each other and every time Kamilah was hit, something very strange happened. When she was hit in the gut, my hand immediately flew towards my stomach as the ghost of an old injury hit me. This happened every single time she was hit. I followed the pair as they fought. The Bandit was pushing Kamilah back towards the Nile. My eyes widened. What was going to happen? _

_My eyes widened even further as the Bandit unleashed his full fury upon Kamilah. Within seconds, she was unconscious on the ground. She was slightly bloody, but not fatally so. The Bandit smirked in triumph, picked up the teen, and dumped her in the Nile. _

"_No!" I heard. I didn't turn around. I heard swords clash and after about a minute, someone hit the ground. However, I couldn't move, I couldn't think, I couldn't function. This was so similar to what had happened to me. I couldn't believe this was happening. Surely this wasn't how it ended for Kamilah… was it? The Nile rushed by and I finally snapped out of my thoughts and ran along the shore with the current. I knew I couldn't save her. I was merely a ghost here. No one could see, hear, feel me, etc… I couldn't change anything; I literally could not do anything here but watch. I heard a splash and turned in time to seen the waters rippling. Someone had jumped into the Nile… or been thrown in. _

_I watched in worry. No one surfaced and I began to lose hope. Why on Earth would I be shown this? Right as that thought ran through my head, someone surfaced, Kamilah in his arms. I breathed a sigh of relief and watched as he laid her on the sand. He began shaking her and trying to get her to wake up. Kamilah didn't move. The man was clearly distressed, but I couldn't see who it was. I knew from the frame that it wasn't Asim… then who was it. The man continued trying to wake her and he hit her chest out of frustration. I laughed out of relief as when he did that, Kamilah coughed and sputtered. It must've gotten some of the water out of her lungs. She continued to cough and spit out water. Once she was done, the man crushed her in a hug. Kamilah froze, not sure what to do or who this mysterious man was. However, she very lightly hugged him back after a few seconds. Maybe it was one of her men. _

"_Thank you," she whispered. I could see the fear and relief on her face. She was probably realizing how close to death she came and that this man rescued her. He must've killed the Bandit before coming to rescue her. After a few more seconds, the man let go of her and turned to leave. _

"_Wait!" Kamilah called. He faltered in his walk slightly, but kept going, his robes billowing behind him. "Wait, please!" He didn't and I ran after him. Kamilah would be fine now. I managed to get in front of him and gasped when I saw his face. I froze out of shock. The man stopped walking away as well. He turned back and looked at Kamilah. She had begun to walk back towards the Medjai camp. From the looks of it, they had defeated the bandits. The man let out a sigh. _

"_Goodbye, sister," he said. With that, he turned and walked away. Once again, I felt as if I wasn't able to do anything. That man had looked exactly like Rick. I mean, I knew Rick looked like Kamilah's older brother, Jabari, but to see it in person… It was _way _different. But… Jabari had refused to be a Medjai. He left Kamilah and her father when he was 16 and she was eight, the same ages as when I was sick and Rick refused to leave my side. Jabari had abandoned his family and found a life of his own. Kamilah had assumed he just didn't love her anymore. God… she had idolized Jabari and he had just… left. But looking on this now, I knew how untrue it was. I had no idea why Jabari was here, maybe he had been keeping tabs on Kamilah over the years. But… he had just saved her life, crying for her to come back. If he didn't love her, he wouldn't have saved her. And the look on his face when he said goodbye, it was the face of a broken-hearted man. He missed her. He wanted to come back. But… he knew he couldn't. He had made his decision and no matter how much Kamilah wanted him back, the Medjai would never accept him. _

_I felt tears running down my face at what just happened and I began to wonder if Kamilah ever found out who it was that saved her. What did she think? Did she think it was a bandit who changed his ways? Did she think it was a random man? Was she even curious at all? _

_The scene and landscape melted before my eyes to reveal another one. It was in the middle of the day this time judging by the position of the sun. The Medjai were on horses, riding towards Seti's palace. It was in the distance and they passed by little farms and families. Kamilah rode in the middle with her men. She looked even younger than last time, maybe 15. A farmer and his two sons were herding their cattle a little ways away from them, but a snake popped out of nowhere and spooked the cattle. They began to run. _

_The Medjai broke their horses into runs as the stampede approached them. Some men went down and some innocent bystanders were hit, one of them even being a son of the family that was herding the cattle. I watched with a grave heart. This reminded me of another part of my life. I watched as Kamilah went down with a cry. She covered her face and flattened herself against the ground in fear as the stampede commenced over her. I was afraid of her being trampled, but I knew what would happen this time. The young girl's horse stood firmly over her and protected her as cattle raced by. Within thirty more seconds the stampede was over. Kamilah carefully raised her head and her horse moved to stand beside her. Lord, that was one loyal horse. _

"_Kamilah!" Asim called. He came towards her and dismounted as she heaved herself off the ground. The girl was covered in sand and was shaking, but otherwise looked fine. "Are you okay?"_

"_Yes," Kamilah breathed. "I think so." Asim shot her a concerned look and I could see just how much he cared about her. Judging by Kamilah's face, she hadn't developed feelings for him yet. Then again, it didn't seem Asim felt that way about her either. They were just very good friends. _

"_I am fine," Kamilah insisted seeing Asim's look. He shot her a look that said he didn't believe her, but nodded. As it turned out, only one Medjai was injured, and it wasn't fatally. The only casualty was the family's son. It was sad, but the Medjai didn't stick around. They had to get to Pharaoh. He had summoned them and they would never defy their king. The Medjai continued riding towards the palace, not even looking back. _

_The scene melted once more and I found myself in a familiar setting. I saw Kamilah standing in front of me and I quietly approached her. She was watching my 15 year old self fight a couple of Egyptian punks. I was doing pretty well for a 15 year old, but I knew what was coming. This was going to be interesting, watching it happen instead of being in the event. I watched as a boy knocked me out with a piece of wood and Kamilah winced and touched the back of her head. _

"_Ow…" she muttered. _

"_Yeah, I had a wicked headache after that," I said. Kamilah jumped and looked at me in surprise. _

"_What are you doing here?" My eyes widened. _

"_I thought you were showing me these things," I said. Kamilah shook her head and I grew concerned. Neither of us had… summoned, so to speak, the other. So what was going on? Both of us turned and watched as the boys threw me into the Nile. _

"_No!" Here comes Rick. My 23 year old brother quickly beat up the punks and jumped into the river to save me. He quickly found me and pulled me out. He began shaking me and shaking me, yelling at me to wake up. After a minute, he punched my chest in frustration. My younger self coughed up water and began to sputter. Rick breathed a sigh of relief and crushed me in a hug when I was done. _

_The scene melted and once again, I recognized where we were. It was a local marketplace that Rick had decided to take me to. I was 10 and he was 18. Kamilah and I watched in silence as a seller lost control of his camels. They began running around, knocking down several people in the process, me being one of them. This was the day I was almost trampled by camels and developed a fear of them. Once the event was over, our surroundings melted and we were surrounded by darkness, that one light cloaking us once more. _

"_That was…" Kamilah tried. _

"_I know," I agreed. That was awful. "Were you there for my visions?" _

"_You saw more than that?" she asked. That was obviously a "no". _

"_Yeah. I saw the fight with the Bandit when you were 17?" I raised my voice at the end, unsure of her age. Kamilah nodded. "I also saw the stampede and how your horse saved you." She smiled at that. _

"_Yeah, Isis was a good horse," she said. Her face became thoughtful. "But… I never did find out who saved me from the Nile." _

"_Would you like to know?" I asked. Kamilah's eyes widened. _

"_You saw who it was?" she asked. Her tone was hopeful. I nodded. _

"_Yeah, I did." _

"_Then why do you sound upset about it?" Kamilah asked. I sighed. _

"_I'm not sure you're going to like who it was."_

"_Just tell me." _

"_Well, okay. It was Jabari." Kamilah froze before bursting out laughing. _

"_You're kidding, right?" she asked. Kamilah continued laughing, not realizing how serious I was. After a few more seconds, she seemed to figure it out. "Wait… you're serious?" _

"_Why would I lie?" I asked. "You would see right through me." Kamilah nodded, knowing it was true. She and I were practically the same person. I did not doubt that we had the same habit when we lied, playing with our fingers. _

"_It couldn't have been Jabari. It _couldn't _have been," Kamilah insisted. _

"_Well, it was," I told her. Her eyes widened. _

"_But… how? I haven't seen him since he left, not even here in the afterlife." I was not surprised. "Jabari doesn't love me. Why would he save me?" _

"_Kamilah… your brother did love you. Trust me. I think he loved you more than anything, that's why he wanted you to come with him when he left." Kamilah sucked in a sharp breath at that. I guess she didn't know I knew that. Jabari had wanted to bring Kamilah with him when he left, but she didn't want to leave their father and he wasn't going to make her come. Seeing Kamilah wasn't going to say anything, I continued. "You didn't see the look on his face that night. After he walked away, I followed him. He whispered goodbye to you with the most broken-hearted expression I've ever seen on anyone. When he was trying to wake you up, he was crying. He missed you, Kamilah. He just knew that he couldn't come back. The Medjai would never welcome him back." Kamilah's expression fell and she knew just how true that was. _

"_Oh, my God," she breathed. Kamilah sank to the ground and I sat down beside her. I rubbed her shoulder in comfort._

"_If it makes you feel better, I know how you feel," I said. Kamilah scowled. _

"_No you don't," she growled. "Rick never abandoned you." _

"_My father left," I reminded her. Kamilah's expression softened. I guess she either hadn't known that or had forgotten about that. "I was only two, but I still remember the day he left, how devastated I was, how hard my mother cried, how sad Rick was." _

"_I'm sorry," Kamilah said with a sniff. I put my arm around her shoulder and she leaned into me. _

"_Me too," I replied. We sat there in silence for a couple minutes before I spoke again. "Maybe you could look for him."_

"_Who, your father?" Kamilah asked in confusion. _

"_No," I said with a laugh. "Jabari." Kamilah's confusion cleared up._

"_Oh. Yeah, maybe," she said. She didn't sound very hopeful that she would find him. The light above us began to fade and I knew the dream was ending. _

"_Bye, Ruth," Kamilah said. I smiled at her simple goodbye._

"_See you, Kamilah," I replied. With that, my world went dark. _

~)8(~

I opened my eyes and sat up in bed. Jeez, that dream was draining. I could already feel my lack of energy. But, I got up and began to get dressed. I had an idea about how I was connected to Kamilah, how Rick was connected to Jabari, how Ardeth was connected to Asim, how Evie was connected to Nefertiri. It was pretty far-fetched, but considering everything that had just happened with Imhotep and Hamunaptra, I would believe anything. I finished getting dressed, stuffed a gun down the back of my pants and left my home. I had to find Evie.

* * *

Hey all! Here's the next chapter! One update left! Ahhhhhhhhh! And then we get the sequel :D I'm super excited for it and I have some nice twists and even a new OC coming in for the sequel. Anyone want to guess who it will be ;)

So, we have hit 22 reviews! That's good, because that means you get a sneak peak. However, I can't give you a sneak peak until y'all vote for which one you all want! Or... I will just have to pick for you ;) You have until I post the last chapter, which will probably be a couple of days from now. The sneak peak will be a full length chapter and will be posted as a new chapter on this story. Vote y'all! The poll is on at the top of my profile.

**Reviews:**

NicoleR85: Glad you liked it :) I'm excited for the sequel too!  
Gotta Dance 88: Yes, I like updating! Writing is my passion! Anway, if there is a month or two at a time where I don't update something, don't lose faith, just know that my two AP and one weighted class plus my 4 choirs and theatre (we're about to start _To Kill a Mockingbird_) has caught up with me. I won't abandon all of you :) I'm glad you like the story as well :)  
labadiejessie: Thanks! I definitely try to stick to the plot, that's the whole point! I hate the OC stories where they are just... there. They're boring and I don't like them very much. I always try and tweak the plot just a little bit to have something around my OCs. I mean, in real life, people affect things. They give their input, they make decisions, they're not just a bystander. Here's the update and the sequel will be coming sometime within the next week :)  
leebee14: I'm glad you like the story :) I'm definitely not going to stop writing it, that would be incredibly mean and inconsiderate, so don't you worry. I'm not going to abandon this story :)  
Lauren Kassidy: It finally happened! Even I was fangirling! I'm so glad you think I did a good job with this chapter. Yeah, the part with Rick and Ruth was actually supposed to be in the chapter after the fight, but I completely forgot and then all the stuff with Hamunaptra and Imhotep happened so I had to add it in the last chapter. But everything worked out really well and I'm kind of glad I forgot xD Here's another dream/vision ;)

Cheers!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Last Piece to the Puzzle**

_Cairo_

"Evie! Evie, are you here?" I called through the museum. I had gone to her place and Jonathan had told me she was here. I felt sad while walking through the museum. Ardeth had told me about how Dr. Bey died saving their lives after Imhotep had taken me and Evie. I grew sadder thinking about the man. He had been a good friend.

"I'm in the library!" I heard Evie call back. I snapped out of my emotions and went to the I got inside, I saw what the woman had been doing for the past week.

The library was almost spotless. The shelves were back up and books were ordered and catalogued. Only one shelf was bare and the books that belonged on that shelf were in the center of the room, stacked and organized.

"You've been busy," I said. Evie flashed me a tired smile and nodded.

"Yes, I'm almost done," she told me. "Rick said you got hired for a job by Howard Carter." I blushed. I hadn't meant to tell Rick that, but he had found the letter offering me the job. I was allowed to stay in Cairo, but the job would require me to work all day. Apparently none of Carter's translators had been able to get anywhere with the artifact. I had been recommended to him by the British Museum and he had offered me the job. I was going to accept. I was never going to pass up the opportunity to work for Howard Carter. Plus, the job came with a hefty paycheck.

"Yeah," I confirmed.

"Is it something from the tomb of Tutankhamun?" Evie asked referring to Carter's famous discovery from four years before.

"I assume so," I replied. I cut off Evie before she could ask more questions. "Look, Evie, I'm here for more than a social visit. I need your opinion on something."

"What is it?" Evie asked. She began working again and I bit my lip.

"What's your opinion on reincarnation?" Evie paused and looked at me in confusion.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Like, do you believe it's possible?" I asked. Evie looked thoughtful and set down the book in her hands. I inwardly sighed in relief upon seeing she was actually taking my inquiry seriously.

"Well, scientifically there are people who can have no relation to each other and look very similar," Evie said.

"Go on."

"But the idea of being reborn into a new life is ludicrous," Evie finished. I sighed.

"Evie, I asked what you believed, not what your head was telling you to say," I said. Evie sighed.

"If you had asked me this two weeks ago I would say I didn't believe in it," Evie said.

"And now?" I asked.

"Well after everything that's just happened, reincarnation wouldn't be such a ridiculous notion," Evie said. I took it as a yes. "Why do you ask?

"Just something I read for my job," I quickly lied. Evie accepted this and nodded. I began helping Evie put away the rest of the books and organize them and I thought about my situation with Kamilah.

What if I was her reincarnation? What if I had been Kamilah in my past life? Two weeks ago, I would've laughed out loud at the thought, but now… Evie was right. After everything that had just happened with Imhotep and Hamunaptra, reincarnation wasn't such a hard thing to believe. But, if I was Kamilah, that meant the others were reincarnations as well. Evie was Princess Nefertiri, my best friend. Rick was Jabari, my brother. Ardeth was Asim, the man I loved. Wait… loved?

No, no, no! That couldn't be right! I had just met the man almost two weeks ago. Certainly I was not in love with him already! Even thinking it, I knew I was lying to myself. I _was _in love with Ardeth Bay. Even an idiot could see it.

I began thinking about all the differences between our current lives and our past ones. Well, for one, I wasn't a Medjai Chieftain. Rick and I weren't Medjai and Rick had never abandoned me, our father had. Maybe… it was the "Jabari" in him trying to make up for leaving Kamilah. Evie wasn't royal, and she had a brother this time. Ardeth was the only one who remained mostly unchanged. Medjai warrior and mysterioso extraordinaire. I thought about how Kamilah and Asim weren't able to be together in their lives… I guess that no longer applied to us. However, it was strange to think about how I had fallen in love with the reincarnation of the man I loved in my past life.

Within two hours, Evie and I were done with the library. Evie said she still had some things to take care of so I grabbed my things and started walking back to my place. The streets of Cairo were strangely empty, but I realized what time it was and figured everyone was eating dinner about now. I heard my stomach growl, but figured I could eat at home. Ardeth was currently out with his men so I knew I couldn't go see him. Maybe I could go see Rick and Jonathan. I knew both of them were at Evie's. Jonathan rarely spent time in his own home. I started in that direction and muttered under my breath.

"I'm right, aren't I?" I asked. "I'm your reincarnation. I was you in a past life." I fell silent and I heard the ghost of a whisper in the back of my mind,

"_Yes…"_

* * *

The end!

Hey all! Short, short, short, chapter I know, but this last bit just felt so out of place in the previous chapter so I decided to make a short 12th chapter. This story is officially done, but I will be posting one last chapter because you all get a sneak peak! And since no one voted, I had decided you will get a sneak peak of my Marvel, Steve Rogers/OC story! Sorry if this upsets you, if you wanted something else, you should've voted.

We should be getting the sequel sometime within the next week.

**Reviews:**

NicoleR85: Hey! Glad you like it!  
leebee14: Here's another update!  
dutchangel1979: You really had me worried there for a second xD Anyway, I'm glad you love the story so much!

Cheerio!


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 1**

"O'Connell, Michael." Steven Rogers was currently reading the newspaper, waiting for his name to be called. His shirt was off and he was praying to God that he would be accepted into the Army.

"Kaminsky, Henry." Countless of other men were waiting, many of them also reading newspapers. The only thing that seemed to be on their minds was signing up. All of the men held hopes that they could go overseas to help their brothers fight against Hitler and his Nazis.

"Boy, lot of guys getting killed over there," the man next to Steve commented.

"Rogers, Steven." Steve put down his newspaper and stood up.

"Kind of makes you think twice about enlisting, huh?" the guy continued.

"Nope," Steve replied. He walked into the line of men, all of them towering above him. At just a measly 5'4" and 90 pounds, he knew his chances of being accepted were slim, but he wasn't going to give up. He was going to try until he was either accepted or caught. He got up to the podium and the man looked at him.

"Rogers," the man said. He raised an eyebrow while looking at Steve before looking back at his file. "What did your father die of?"

"Mustard gas," Steve answered. "He was in the 107th Infantry. I was hoping I could be assigned-"

"Your mother?" the man asked cutting him off.

"She was a nurse in a TB ward," Steve said. "Got hit. Couldn't shake it." Steve watched as the man looked over his… lengthy medical history.

"Sorry, son," he said not at all looking sorry.

"Look, just give me a chance," Steve begged.

"You'd be ineligible on your asthma alone," the man told him.

"Is there anything you can do?" Steve asked.

"I'm doing it. I'm saving your life." The man stamped the paper with 4F, meaning he had not been accepted into the Army. Steve had to hide his disappointment.

~)8(~

Later, Steve was in a movie theatre with countless other people and a newsreel came on. And of course, it was about the war. Steve almost scowled, feeling like everything nowadays was mocking him. He couldn't get into the Army and all the news seemed to like talking about was the war and how everyone was doing their part, even Timmy in the newsreel who had been collecting scrap metal. Yet, no one was letting Steve do his part. At one point during the reel, a man called out, "Who cares? Play the movie already!" Steve frowned, seeing the slightly teary women get even tearier.

"Hey, you want to show some respect?" Steve whispered to him. The man was a few rows in front of him. The man ignored him and the newsreel continued.

"Let's go! Get on with it! Hey, just start the cartoon!" People all over the theater were giving the rude man looks and Steve leaned forward.

"Hey, you want to shut up?" he said. The man stood up and looked at him. Steve gulped slightly upon seeing how big he was, much bigger than himself. Then again, everyone seemed to be much bigger than Steve. The young man grabbed Steve by the shoulder and practically dragged him out of the theater. Sighing, Steve knew what was coming. He had just enough time to get his balance before the first punch was thrown. Steve fell down on the ground of the alley, almost knocking over some trash bins. He immediately hauled himself off the ground and held his fists up. The young man merely punched him again, sending him into the trash bins. Steve grabbed one of the lids and raised it in front of him like a shield. The young man was smirking. He merely ripped the lid from Steve's grip and sent him down with another punch. Steve got up, feeling the blood on the side of his mouth, but not letting that faze him. He raised his fists.

"You just don't know when to give up, do you?" the young man said.

"I can do this all day," Steve replied through heavy breath. He was _not_ going to let this guy embarrass him. He had been so rude in the theater, showing the disrespect that he did. If Steve was the only one willing to stand up to him, despite his size, then the beating was worth it. Steve threw a sloppy punch. The young man easily blocked it and retaliated with a punch of his own.

"Hey!" Steve heard. He turned just in time to see his friend James "Bucky" Barnes grab the man. "Pick on someone your own size!" Steve was barely aware of the woman who kneeled next to him. Bucky punched the young man before kicking him, which sent the young man running. Steve heard Bucky sigh before turning back to him.

"Sometimes, I think you like getting punched," Bucky said.

"I had him on the ropes," Steve mumbled.

"How many times is this?" Bucky asked picking up his enlistment form. "Oh, you're from Paramus now? You know it's illegal to lie on an enlistment form. And seriously, Jersey?"

"Bucky," the woman scolded lightly. Steve looked at her, as far as he knew, he was one of the only people who called him that. However, he froze when he finally got a good look at the dame. She was… beautiful. That was the only way to describe her. Beautiful. Her hair was the blackest black he'd ever seen, thick, and straight. Her skin was pale and flawless. But her eyes… they were the most interesting part. They were silver. Not light grey, but silver.

"Are you okay?" she asked him. Steve shook himself out of his stupor and nodded slightly. She helped him stand up before stepping back. He saw she was a couple inches shorter than him. Steve tore his gaze away from her and looked at Bucky, finally noticing he was in his uniform.

"You get your orders?" Steve asked.

"The 107th. Sergeant James Barnes, shipping out for England first thing tomorrow." Steve scoffed slightly at the irony of that. Instead of him getting into the 107th, it was his best friend.

"I should be going," Steve muttered. Bucky looked at him sadly, knowing how much he wanted to get into the Army. Then, he smiled.

"Come on, man! My last night. I got to get you cleaned up," Bucky said.

"Why? Where are we going?" Steve asked, not sure he actually wanted to know.

"The future." Bucky handed him a newspaper. Steve saw the announcement of the World Exposition of Tomorrow on the front page. "We're going on a double date." Steve frowned slightly at that. He hated how Bucky always set him up. It seemed all of the women were more interested in Bucky than himself and it only served to disappoint him.

"Come on, Bucky," Steve protested.

"You're going to love her," Bucky said with a grin.

"I told him not to," the woman piped up. Steve looked at her surprised. "He's told me a little about how the dates you've gone on have never really worked out." She didn't say it with any sympathy or pity. She said it like she was simply stating a fact. It made Steve feel a little better.

"Are you two-" Steve began to ask.

"Oh, he should be so lucky," the woman said playfully. She shot Steve a secret smile, like they were sharing an inside joke. Steve couldn't help but laugh lightly. It wasn't often that women didn't feel attracted to Bucky and hang on his every word.

"Steve Rogers, ma'am," he introduced. Her eyes widened.

"Oh, wow. A gentleman. A proper gentleman." She enthusiastically shook his hand before turning back to Bucky. "Why can't you be like that?" Steve couldn't help but laugh again.

"The two of you can flirt later, we've got to go," Bucky said rolling his eyes. The woman scowled slightly.

"I think I'm entitled to the right of flirting with whomever I want after having to watch you flirt with countless women day after day," she replied. Steve was a little surprised at her words, but not at the same time. He was not surprised that she had to endure Bucky's flirting. However, he was surprised that she had not denied flirting with _him. _It made his heart skip a beat and his cheeks heat up a little.

"No, seriously, we've got to go," Bucky said. The woman looked at his watch before her eyes widened.

"Oh, man, you're right," she breathed. "I'll see you later." She ran off, her braid flying behind her. Steve watched her go, realizing she never told him her name.

"Listen, I'll pick you up later tonight. Be ready," Bucky said. Steve nodded and said goodbye before hailing a cab and going back to his apartment. The whole way there, the mysterious woman was on his mind.

~)8(~

"The mysterious woman" walked into the lab, a slight bounce in her step. She was excited… really excited. It finally looked as if the program was going to get started. She didn't bother putting on a lab coat, as she was going to leave right after she told Dr. Erskine the news. She quickly found him and whispered in his ear.

"I've found him," she said. Dr. Erskine looked stunned and they went to go talk in private.

"What do you mean?" he asked, his German accent thick and evident.

"I mean, I think I've found him, Doc. This guy… he's perfect. He's little, he's kind, and he's a gentleman."

"It sounds more like he's a date option for you," Dr. Erskine said. She fought a blush. It was true despite being kind of scrawny, she thought Steve was attractive.

"No, listen," she said. "When Bucky and I found him, he was having his ass handed to him by a bully. Yet, he stood up to him and tried to fight back. I also found out he's been trying to get into the military, but has been denied because of poor health probably. I mean, the guy weighs less than me." Dr. Erskine looked intrigued.

"Tell me more," he requested. She smiled and obliged. Soon, Dr. Erskine agreed to recruit him for the project. She felt a feeling of satisfaction afterwards. Finally, this project was going to get off the ground. And it seemed she had found the best test subject for it. Dr. Erskine and the others just needed to be convinced of the same.

~)8(~

"I don't see what the problem is," Bucky said to Steve as they walked through the World Expedition. "You're about to be the last eligible man in New York. You know there's three and a half million women here?"

"Well, I'd settle for just one," Steve replied, his mind on the mysterious woman from earlier. He just could not seem to get her out of his head.

"Good thing I took care of that," Bucky said with a grin, not noticing where Steve's thoughts had gone. He waved over at two girls, both of them waving back enthusiastically.

"Hey, Bucky!" one of the women called. Steve sighed.

"What'd you tell her about me?" he asked.

"Only the good stuff," Bucky assured him. Steve fixed his hair and got ready to greet his date for the night. She was very pretty, he couldn't deny that, but still, his mind was on the woman from earlier. It was quite annoying actually.

"Welcome to the Modern Marvels Pavilion and the World of Tomorrow," Steve heard an announcer say after he, Bucky, and their dates had started walking around. "A greater world. A better world."

"Oh, my God," Bucky's date breathed. "It's starting!" She ran off dragging Bucky behind her. Steve's date ran beside them, leaving him behind. He merely walked behind them, joining them right as the demonstration began.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Howard Stark!" a woman announced. Everyone applauded and the man himself came on stage. He kissed one of the assisting ladies before wiping his mouth and taking the microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Howard began, "What if I told you that in just a few short years, your automobile won't even have to touch the ground at all?" Steve offered his date a nut, but she scowled at him slightly, making him pull his arm back in slight embarrassment. The women on stage removed the wheels from the car and set them aside. In their place, were four shiny replacements for them. "With Stark Gravitic Reversion technology, you'll be able to do just that," Howard continued. The man pressed a few buttons and to everyone's great surprise, the car began to lift off the ground. Everyone stared in wonder and shock as the car hovered in midair.

"Holy cow," Bucky breathed. However, a few seconds later, the tire replacements sparked and the car fell back on stage. Everyone jumped back slightly and exchanged nervous laughs before beginning to applaud.

"I did say a few years, didn't I?" Howard spoke. Steve looked around and paused when he saw an "I Want You" sign.

"Hey Steve, what do you say we treat these girls to…" Bucky began. He trailed off when he looked towards Steve, only to find him not there. Bucky sighed and excused himself from the girls in order to go look for him. Meanwhile, Steve walked into the recruiting station. He stepped onto a platform, what that projected his face into an image of a soldier. He sighed when his head was barely visible in the image because he was so short.

"Come on," he heard. He felt Bucky push his shoulder lightly. "You're kind of missing the point of a double date. We're taking the girls dancing."

"You go ahead. I'll catch up with you," Steve told him, looking back towards their dates. Steve knew his date didn't like him very much and to be honest, he didn't like her very much either. Bucky sighed, knowing what Steve was thinking.

"You're really going to do this again?" he asked.

"Well, it's a fair," Steve replied. "I'm going to try my luck."

"As who, Steve from Ohio?" Bucky shot at him. "They'll catch you. Or worse, they'll actually take you."

"Look, I know you don't think I can do this," Steve started.

"This isn't a back alley, Steve. This is war," Bucky interrupted.

"I know it's a war."

"Why are you so keen to fight?" Neither of them were aware of the older man watching the conversation. "There are so many important jobs."

"What do you want me to do?" Steve asked. "Collect scrap metal in my little red wagon?"

"Yes!" Bucky said. "Why not?"

"I'm not going to sit in a factory, Bucky. Bucky, come on. There are men laying down their lives. I got no right to do any less than them. That's what you don't understand. This isn't about me."

"Right, 'cause you got nothing to prove," Bucky said back. Steve didn't reply. The man watching them looked intrigued at Steve's argument for why he should fight in the war.

"Hey, Sarge! Are we going dancing?" Bucky's date called to him.

"Yes we are!" Bucky replied, smiling at her and Steve's date. Bucky turned back to his best friend. "Don't do anything stupid until I get back." Bucky began to walk away.

"How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you," Steve replied, a small smile on his face. Bucky fought a smile and walked back.

"You're a punk," he told Steve, hugging him goodbye.

"Jerk," Steve replied. "Be careful." Bucky nodded and began to walk back to the girls. "Don't win the war till I get there!" Bucky saluted Steve mockingly before walking away with the girls. Steve walked further into the recruiting office, determined to try again. The man who had been watching him and Bucky watched him go before a small smile appeared on his face.

~)8(~

Steve sat on the bed in the medical examination room. He had taken off his jacket and tie and the Doctor was getting ready for the examination when a nurse walked in. Steve watched as the nurse whispered something in the Doctor's ear. He nodded and began to walk out of the room with her.

"Wait here," he told Steve.

"Is there a problem?" Steve asked.

"Just wait here." That was all the Doctor said before he left the room. Steve looked around nervously, noticing the sign that informed everyone it was illegal to falsify information on an enlistment form. Maybe Bucky was right. What if he was going to get caught? This was his sixth try after all. Steve quickly went to go put on his shoes before a soldier walked in. Steve looked up nervously. However, a few seconds later, a well-dressed, elderly man walked in. He was the man who had watched Steve and Bucky argue. The soldier left the room and the man opened the folder in his hand.

"So, you want to go overseas. Kill some Nazis," the man said, his German accent very evident. Steve was a little startled by it, but didn't say anything.

"Excuse me?" Steve asked.

"Dr. Abraham Erskine," the man introduced. Steve shook his hand. "I represent the Strategic Scientific Reserve."

"Steve Rogers," Steve replied. Steve couldn't help it, he had to ask. "Where are you from?" To his credit, Erskine didn't look offended.

"Queens. 73rd Street and Utopia Parkway. Before that, Germany," Erskine said. He looked at Steve. "This troubles you?"

"No," Steve immediately said.

"Where are you from, Mr. Rogers?" Erskine asked. He looked down at the file again. "Is it New Haven? Or Paramus?" Steve looked down nervously, knowing he was caught. "Five exams in five different cities."

"That might not be the right file," Steve weakly tried.

"No, it's not the exams that I'm interested in. It's the five tries." Steve was confused at that. "But you didn't answer my question. Do you want to kill Nazis?"

"Is this a test?" Steve asked.

"Yes," Erskine said like it was obvious. Steve thought for a minute before answering honestly.

"I don't want to kill anyone. I don't like bullies. I don't care where they're from," he said. Erskine nodded.

"Well, there are already so many big men fighting this war. Maybe what we need now is a little guy," he replied. "I can offer you a chance. Only a chance."

"I'll take it," Steve said immediately.

"Good. So where is the little guy from? Actually?"

"Brooklyn," Steve answered. Erskine stamped his form and handed the file to him.

"Congratulations, soldier," he said. Erskine handed Steve his folder before beginning to walk away. "By the way, you might want to thank my partner. She's the reason you're getting this chance."

"She?" Steve asked.

"Yes, I believe you two have met." Steve saw someone walk up beside Erskine and his eyes widened.

"Hello, Steve. I don't think we were properly introduced. My name's Zemira." Steve was shocked. It was the woman from earlier, the one who had helped him with Bucky.

"You told him about me?" Steve asked. Zemira nodded and smiled.

"Congratulations," she told him. With that, she and Erskine walked away. Steve opened his file, to see the 1A stamped there. He smiled and looked in the direction Zemira and Erskine walked, feeling completely thankful and happy. He was finally getting a chance, and it was all because of Zemira.

* * *

Hey all! Here's the sneak peak you've all been waiting for! Let me know what you all think! What do you think of Zemira? How do you think she will be around for _Thor, The Avengers, Thor: The Dark World, _and_ Captain America: The Winter Soldier_?

Cheerio!


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